Vitamin K is an essential part of your diet. Your body needs vitamin K in order for your blood to clot and your bones to hold minerals. It may also play a role in the progression of vascular disease, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. A diet high in vitamin K may help prevent calcification and hardening of your arteries.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is a necessary cofactor for a single process in the body: Preparing proteins to chemically bind to the mineral calcium. This process is necessary to activate blood clotting proteins and is critical for proteins that compose the structure of your bones. Vitamin K is found in green, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, greens and lettuce as well as some vegetable oils.
Arterial Hardening
Atherosclerosis is hardening of your arteries. High cholesterol and fats in the blood can cause waxy fat deposits to accumulate along the edges of the arteries, inhibiting blood flow. As these plaques build up, they begin to harden as calcium accumulates between the fat and in the artery walls. Hardened and blocked arteries raise your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Vitamin K Effects
Whereas vitamin K stimulates the accumulation of calcium in your bones, a diet high in vitamin K may prevent calcification of arterial plaques and walls. Along with a low-fat diet, regular exercise and medication to control blood pressure and cholesterol levels, vitamin K may aid in the reversal of atherosclerosis. A diet low in vitamin K may raise the risk and speed the progression of atherosclerosis.
Research
According to the Linus Pauling Institute, people who ate a diet low in vitamin K had higher levels of arterial calcification, although some studies did not find a correlation. It does not appear that vitamin K intake is the only dietary factor affecting atherosclerosis. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, some researchers hypothesize that vitamin K is necessary to activate a protein that protects blood vessels from calcification.
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