Vitamin K benefits the body in essential ways. From supporting your bones, looking after your blood, to boosting your immune system. This vital nutrient can help you improve your chances of experiencing vitamin K benefits. From keeping your heart happy, to healing wounds, there are many benefits of vitamin K you didn’t know about.
Table of Contents:
- What is Vitamin K?
- 3 Essential Benefits of Vitamin K
- 5 Signs of Vitamin K Deficiency
- How to Increase Your Vitamin K Intake
- 12 Sources of Vitamin K
What is Vitamin K?
Vitamin K is one of the main vitamins your body needs to function properly. Proper levels of vital nutrients means you can reap the benefits of vitamin K and the jobs it does for your body. Vitamin K supplements are easy to take and help you regulate your nutrient levels. Whether you’re at risk of deficiency, or want to support your body a little better, ensure you’re making the most of vitamin K benefits.
Vitamin K is made of multiple compounds, the most important being K1 and K2. They are fat-soluble nutrients with many vital roles within the body. Vitamin K benefits your essential heart health and has a role in blood clotting. It is also one of the nutrients that maintain healthy bones and support the immune system. A lack of this essential nutrient means you won’t reap the benefits of vitamin K, and you can develop unwanted symptoms.
3 Essential Benefits of Vitamin K
Essential processes within the body benefit from vitamin K in ways you may not know. These include your skeleton and your blood vessel system. The benefits of vitamin K are important for your overall well being. Keep your levels at their optimum to ensure you look after the processes that vitamin K benefits. Below is a selection of standout vitamin K benefits you might not have known about:
- Bones - Vitamin K benefits your bones in partnership with vitamin D. Vitamin D and vitamin K work together to move the calcium into your bones to support bone health and strength. Vitamin D supplements work along with K and supplementing together can help you experience the benefits of vitamin K and vitamin D in your bones. Bone supplements often contain the required vitamin D and K2 dosage in order to support bone function.
- Heart health - Vitamin K benefits your blood by moving minerals along instead of letting them build up in one place. One example is its role in preventing calcification, which is where calcium deposits harden in your blood vessels. By helping to stop this build up of minerals, vitamin K benefits your blood pressure by keeping it lower and vitamin K benefits you by reducing your risk of a stroke as you age. It is one of the key nutrients for an older stage of life.
- Blood clotting - Another of the benefits of Vitamin K is its role in your blood. By acting as a blood clotter, vitamin K benefits your health by forming blood around cuts. This stops your wounds from continuously bleeding and allows them to heal.
These benefits of vitamin K are vital to keeping essential processes in your body working as they should. Whether you supplement this type of vitamin or you include it in your diet, making sure you find a source of nutrients is essential if you want to reap the benefits vitamin K brings.
5 Signs of Vitamin K Deficiency
Vitamin K deficiency is what happens when you don’t get enough of this essential nutrient in your daily intake. Without adequate nutrient levels, not only do you not experience any vitamin K benefits, but you also develop side effects caused by vitamin deficiency.
Vitamin K2 is not easily accessible from diet alone, unlike K1, which you should be able to intake the correct dosage from a healthy balanced diet. If you don’t eat a lot of meat, dairy, or fermented foods, then you could easily suffer from vitamin K2 deficiency. Therefore, it is more common to suffer from a deficiency in K2.
There are telltale signs to look out for to indicate that you have low levels of this vital nutrient, and missing out on vitamin K benefits. Some of the most common symptoms of vitamin K deficiency include:
- Excessive bleeding - Because vitamin K benefits the proteins in the blood which help it to healthily clot after a cut or wound, having vitamin K deficiency could lead to excessive bleeding.
- Blood under nails - Blood under the nails could be a sign of vitamin K deficiency, once again relating to the way vitamin K benefits the blood. Some vitamins play a role in nail health, and taking a Skin, Hair, & Nail Supplement could be beneficial.
- Heavy menstrual periods - Vitamin K benefits oestrogen regulation, so not having enough of the vitamin could cause a thicker endometrium, leading to heavier menstruation.
- Bruising - Bruising is caused by minor damage to blood vessels in the skin. If you are suffering from vitamin K deficiency you could bruise easily and often.
- Blood in urine or stool - A lack of vitamin K may result in blood in your urine or stool.
You should seek medical advice from your GP or other health professional if you think you have these telltale signals of vitamin K deficiency. A medical professional may arrange a test to identify whether you have low nutrient levels or vitamin deficiency. Always consult medical advice before taking supplements.
Vitamin K is especially important during the menopause when bone density may decline, increasing risks of fractures. Menopause supplements may contain this vitamin for that reason - to help support strong bones during this transitional period.
How to Increase your Vitamin K Intake
Increasing your vitamin K intake so that you can experience the benefits of vitamin K is important and easy to do with BetterYou vitamin K supplements. Supplementing through this easy-to-use, pill-free supplementation method, seeing the benefits of vitamin K has never been easier. When sprayed into the mouth, this Vitamin K2 Oral Spray is an effective alternative to tablets and capsules. With a great tasting natural peppermint flavour, you can increase your nutrient uptake and help make the most of the benefits of vitamin K.
12 Sources of Vitamin K
To help encourage the benefits of vitamin K, alongside supplements, you can eat more food and drink rich in this vital nutrient. Finding a source of vitamin K2 can increase nutrient function and contribute to the areas of your body that vitamin K benefits. You can find food and drinks containing this vital nutrient to aid intake through your diet alongside supplements. Together they can help you avoid vitamin K deficiency. Vitamin K1 and K2 can be found in different foods and drinks.
Some sources of vitamin K include:
- BetterYou vitamin K supplements
- green leafy vegetables – such as broccoli, spinach, kale
- fermented foods, such as kefir
- some fruits, such as blueberries and figs
- meat, including liver
- dairy foods, such as butter and cheese
- cereal grains
- vegetable oils
- eggs
- chickpeas
- soybeans
- green tea
Other vitamins and minerals contribute to bone health, including vitamin C. Encouraging the right amount of vital nutrients with vitamin C supplements can help you look after your bones and make the most of the benefits of vitamin K and vitamin C. Those with dietary restrictions may struggle to experience the benefits of vitamin K from excluding certain foods from their diet. Vegetarians may consider taking vegetarian supplements to provide them with the supplements vegetarians should take. Whilst vegans can take vegan supplements in order to support their needs of the supplements vegans should take.
According to the NHS, adults need approximately 1 microgram a day of vitamin K for each kilogram of their body weight. For example, someone who weighs 65kg would need 65μg (micrograms) a day of vitamin K, while a person who weighs 75kg would need 75μg a day. It is important to intake the correct dosage of vital nutrients, follow nutrient reference value guidelines, to help you experience the benefits of vitamin K and avoid a deficiency.
