Vitamin K is important for your overall health and its main function is to help the blood clot to prevent excessive bleeding. Vitamin K is more of a combination of different compounds, including vitamin K1 and K2. You can get vitamin K from leafy greens, whereas vitamin K2 can be obtained from cheeses, meats, and eggs. Vitamin K is usually not used as dietary supplement, but you need to include certain foods in your diet to enjoy vitamin K benefits. Let's find out why vitamin K is important for your health.

Benefits of Vitamin K

Green leafy vegetables are some of the best sources of vitamin K, and they provide you with other vitamins and minerals too. It is important to ensure that you are getting enough vitamin K from dietary sources or you will end up experiencing certain issues.

1. It Prevents Osteoporosis

Many post-menopausal women lose bone density as they age and end up developing osteoporosis. When left untreated, it can cause several complications, including spinal deformity, pain, and fractures. Women lose bone density after menopause mainly due to a reduction in the estrogen levels. Including vitamin K in your diet can help prevent this issue. You can do it by increasing your intake of collard greens, spinach, broccoli, lettuce, and other leafy veggies.

2. It Regulates Blood Clotting

Without enough vitamin-K in your system, your body will not be able to regulate blood clotting. That usually happens because vitamin K plays a role in amalgamation of prothrombium, which is a process that starts automatically when you sustain an injury and bleed. Vitamin K helps regulate blood-clotting mechanism by making it easier for calcium to circulate through the body. Getting enough vitamin K2 is also important to prevent myelodysplastic syndromes and other blood disorders.

3. It Lowers Risk of Internal Bleeding

Are there any other vitamin K benefits? Of course. As it helps blood clot, it also lowers your risk of internal bleeding, especially in the liver. Vitamin K also plays a role in preventing jaundice and poor nutrient absorption. It also helps prevent issues associated with your gastrointestinal system, including Crohn's disease, sprue, and colitis.

4. It Maintains Cardiovascular Health

By getting rid of any buildup of minerals in the arteries, vitamin K plays a bid role in regulating your blood pressure. It lowers blood pressure and relieves pressure from your heart. Mineralization occurs naturally with age and can lead to several types of cardiovascular complications, but vitamin K can lower that risk significantly.

5. It Keeps Pregnant Women Healthy

You need to increase your intake of vitamin K when you are pregnant, as it can help prevent issues like nausea and morning sickness. Taking vitamin K may actually relieve morning sickness if you are already experiencing it. Including vitamin K in your diet may also reduce your risk of bleeding. That is another reason why vitamin K can also help treat heavy menstrual bleeding. By regulating your menstrual cycle, it can really help reduce menstrual pain.

6. It Keeps Your Skin Healthy

Buildup of minerals in your body can affect your cardiovascular health, but it can also cause other complications and damage your skin cells. It can affect the elasticity of your skin and leave you with wrinkles and other skin problems. Adequate intake of vitamin K helps regulate the levels of calcium in your body that in turn keeps your skin flexible and free of wrinkles. Moreover, vitamin K is important for the formation of different proteins that keep your skin healthy and prevent problems like acne.

7. Other Vitamin K Benefits

As it helps your blood clot, it makes sense to increase your intake of vitamin K to deal with excessive menstrual flow. It can also help regulate your hormones, which in turn will help regulate your menstrual cycle and reduce menstrual pain. Moreover, vitamin K helps regulate blood sugar levels because the pancreases cannot work properly in the absence of enough vitamin K in the body.

How Much Vitamin K Should You Take?

Here is a table to help you get an idea about how much vitamin K you should be taking on a daily basis.

Natural Sources of Vitamin K

In order to enjoy vitamin K benefits, you need to know about the best dietary sources of this vitamin. Here are some options to consider:

• Green leafy veggies are the best sources of vitamin K. You can eat collard greens, spinach, kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, and asparagus to increase your intake of vitamin K. Parsley is also a good option because two tablespoons of parsley provide you with 150% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin K.
• Soybean and fermented soybean products are good sources of vitamin K. You can include tofu in your diet or opt for fermented cheese, such as Norwegian cheese or Swiss cheese.
• Include steamed broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and raw celery leaves in your diet to increase your intake of vitamin K.
• Grains are also rich sources of vitamin K. You can always opt for wheat germ, wheat bran, and oats to get plenty of vitamin K.
• Meats, yogurt, sea kelp, and eggs are also some good sources of vitamin K, so be sure to include them in your diet as well.