What is the role of Vitamin K and what foods contain it? We answer you.
Vitamins are organic substances that the human body needs for its proper functioning. Although without energy value, they are essential for growth, the immune system, the development of the skeleton… Without them, there is no energy, no life. It is even inscribed in the etymology of the word: “vita” in Latin means “life”. Less notorious than C and D, here’s what you need to know about vitamin K.
K for coagulation, but not only
Its name comes from the German term “koagulation”: it is the vitamin that intervenes in the process of blood coagulation, a vital protective mechanism which makes it possible to avoid, by clogging effect, losing too much blood in the event of an injury. . It is also necessary for the fixation of calcium on the bones and teeth (thus contributing to their solidity), as well as for cell growth and the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system. Like A, D, and E, vitamin K is a fat-soluble (fat-soluble) vitamin produced by and stored in the body, primarily the liver, for several months. Note that there are actually several types of vitamin K: K1, of vegetable origin, K2, of animal origin, and K3, synthetic, which is a precursor of K1 and K2.
What to eat for a vitamin K cure?
Vitamin K needs are largely covered by food, but those who would like to take a small cure must turn to specific foods. Here, for example, are the vegetables with the most “concentrations” in K, in descending order: parsley (1220 micrograms per 100 g), kale, spinach, Swiss chard, broccoli, lettuce, asparagus or even cucumber ( 16 µg per 100 g). Fruits, on the other hand, contain very little.
On the animal side, the “most K-vitamin” foods are offal (especially pork and veal liver, respectively at 500 and 350 µg per 100 g) and certain dairy products, such as raclette cheese (465 µg) and Emmental. Finally, it is found in certain vegetable oils, starting with soybean oil, at high doses (362 µg).
Are there any risks of deficiencies?
The adequate daily intake of vitamin K varies according to age: 5 to 45 µg before the age of 12 months, 30 to 75 µg between 1 and 18 years, and 79 µg in adults, including women pregnant, according to ANSES recommendations. Proportions that do not break records. Vitamin K deficiencies are therefore quite rare in adults.
They can nevertheless appear as a result of chronic diseases (of the intestine, such as Crohn’s disease, or of the liver, such as cirrhosis) preventing the synthesis of the vitamin. This can lead to a failure of blood coagulation, which results in bruising, heavy bleeding (nose, menstruation, etc.) and weakening of the bones. In which case a doctor could consider filling the gap with vitamin K supplementation.
As for people who ingest anticoagulant drugs, that is to say, intended to thin the blood, they should limit their consumption of foods rich in vitamin K, as this can disrupt the prescribed treatment. Still, except in extremely rare cases of adverse effects found in newborns, there is generally no risk of overdose.