{"id":5078,"date":"2019-03-08T20:30:08","date_gmt":"2019-03-09T04:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturalwire.com\/?p=5078"},"modified":"2019-03-08T20:02:29","modified_gmt":"2019-03-09T04:02:29","slug":"vitamin-k-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalwire.com\/vitamin-k-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Vitamin K Benefits \u2013 The Beginner\u2019s Guide to Vitamins"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vitamins are essential nutrients<\/strong> that help the body function. Some vitamins are ingested organically — such as from the sun or leafy vegetables. Others can be found in capsule format at your local pharmacy. Similarly, the benefits of vitamin K<\/strong> and others are already in some of your favorite foods.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re probably familiar with vitamins C and D. Vitamin C is helpful in fighting heart disease and vitamin D is important for bone strength. But Vitamin K is a vitamin you might not<\/strong> have heard too much about in health class.<\/p>\n

Vitamin K is nicknamed the \u201cblood-clotting vitamin\u201d<\/strong> for its essential role in healing wound and clotting blood. It can also assist in bone health<\/strong>, much like vitamin D. After you\u2019ve been injured, the body automatically creates blood clots, a thickened mass of blood, to stop the bleeding. This is a good thing, but excessive blood clots can be dangerous<\/strong> and even fatal.<\/p>\n

Leafy vegetables, such as kale, parsley and spinach, are natural sources of vitamin K.<\/strong> It can also be found to a lesser extent in meats, fish, eggs and many other foods.<\/p>\n

Bruising easily and painfully is the main symptom of a vitamin K deficiency in adults. It is a problem much more common in infants<\/strong> because their bodies don\u2019t produce any vitamin K until they are a few months old and breast milk doesn\u2019t contain enough of the essential vitamin. Jaundice skin is one side effect in infants, but is easily remedied with supplements<\/strong> and shouldn\u2019t result in lifelong issues.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t think you can increase your vegetable intake for a sufficient amount of vitamin K intake, you can ask your doctor about supplements.<\/strong> However, it\u2019s important to seek professional advice beforehand, as some medications can have adverse reactions with vitamin K supplements.<\/p>\n

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What Does Vitamin K do to Your Body?<\/h3>\n

Vitamin K plays an essential part<\/strong> in your body\u2019s wound healing<\/strong> and overall bone health. Your body requires 13 proteins for blood clotting. Vitamin K helps produce four of those proteins. The vitamin has a helpful effect on bone density and helps reduce the risk of fractures<\/strong>, particularly in women.<\/p>\n

We know that vitamin D helps the body build calcium, which is fundamental to bone health. Vitamin K assists vitamin D with navigating<\/strong> to the bones to help development and strength. Low bone density can increase your risk for hip and other fractures. Vitamin K helps prevent that by strengthening bone density.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vitamin K produced the protein prothrombin, a necessary factor for blood clotting and bone metabolism. Blood clotting is how the body heals wounds, bruises and other injuries.<\/p>\n

Suffering from vitamin K deficiency is quite rare<\/strong> and mostly affects infants. Some people have a rare disorder called hemophilia where their body doesn\u2019t produce prothrombin for normal blood clotting.<\/p>\n

Aside from blood clotting assistance, vitamin K can help in many other areas.<\/h2>\n

Heart Health<\/strong> – Vitamin K helps reduce strokes<\/strong> and other conditions caused by high blood pressure. It helps the heart prevent mineralization build-up in the arteries, which can lead to strokes, heart attacks and other heart problems.<\/p>\n

Bone Health<\/strong> – Vitamin K can help prevent osteoporosis<\/strong> (low bone density) by working with vitamin D to produce calcium to increase bone density. Osteoporosis mainly affects women and increased calcium can reduce fractures in hips and other bones that are common among older people.<\/p>\n

Cognitive Health<\/strong> – Vitamin K is shown to increase blood flow to the brain.<\/strong> This increase in blood flow helps memory and other cognitive functions. The blood flow can also be tied back to heart health, as blood need clear arteries to travel through.<\/p>\n

Aside from the multitude of health benefits, vitamin K is also great for the skin.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Vitamin K Benefits for Skin<\/h3>\n

Vitamin K\u2019s basic function is to strengthen bones and assist in blood clotting<\/strong>. However, when applied to the skin, it can reduce many skin blemishes<\/strong> and skin conditions by strengthening the skin. Stretch marks, spider veins and scars are some of the skin issues that are helped by applying vitamin K to the skin.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for healthy, younger skin, look at the ingredients list of skincare products and use one with high amounts of vitamin K.<\/strong> It can help make stretch marks fade and minimize scars, as well as spider veins. Vitamin E is usually considered the best vitamin for skin<\/strong> conditions, but vitamin K can be effective, as well.<\/p>\n

Dark circles<\/strong> under the eyes are another area where vitamin K can reduce or lighten the circles<\/strong> for a younger appearance. Applied directly to the skin, vitamin K can alleviate symptoms from skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are a few of the best skin care products containing vitamin K:<\/p>\n

A great topical eye cream to add to your skincare routine, Organys Rejuvenating Eye Formula<\/a> contains powerful ingredients<\/strong> such as vitamin K and aloe as well as potent fruit extracts like pineapple, passion fruit, and lemon.<\/p>\n

For a stronger formula<\/strong>, you may like Koxiderm OP Cream<\/a>, which contains 2% vitamin K1 oxide of medical grade quality<\/strong>; that's a purity rating of over 98%.<\/p>\n

If you'd like to help bruising heal fast<\/strong> or naturally improve blood circulation while reducing varicose veins and dark circles<\/strong> under the eyes, this cream by Miracle Plus<\/a> may be for you.<\/p>\n

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What Foods Should You Eat for Vitamin K Benefits?<\/h3>\n

Green leafy vegetables<\/strong> are the most effective source of vitamin K. Other green vegetables also have fair amounts of the vitamin. Some meats and fish have minimal vitamin K that can be consumed to boost your overall vitamin intake.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Examples of foods rich in vitamin K<\/strong> include:<\/p>\n