Vitamin K was first discovered in humans in 1934 as a fat-soluble vitamin. Vitamin K can activate coagulation factors in the human body, so when vitamin K is deficient, it can lead to bleeding disorders, so for a long time, vitamin K has been used to treat coagulation disorders.
Because vitamin K is widely present in various foods, the symbiotic bacteria in the human intestine can also be synthesized and usually not lacking, so vitamin K is a vitamin that is considered "unimportant". However, in recent years, studies have found that vitamin K can not only stop bleeding, but also assist in calcium supplementation and inhibition of vascular calcification.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="3" >, there are many kinds of vitamin K</h1>
There are two types of naturally occurring vitamin K, which are vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. Among them, vitamin K1 is widely present in green plants; vitamin K2 is found in animals, as well as in bacterial synthesis in the intestine. Synthetic vitamin K, there are K3, K4, K5, K7 and so on. But no matter what kind of vitamin K, it must eventually be converted to vitamin K2 to play a biologic role.
In general, as long as the diet is normal, the intestinal flora is balanced, there is no lack of vitamin K, only infants and young children with incomplete intestinal development, or suffering from hepatobiliary system diseases, or have severe diarrhea leading to imbalance of intestinal flora, or long-term use of antibiotics to inhibit the normal intestinal flora and other reasons, will lead to vitamin K deficiency.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="17" > second, vitamin K can coagulate blood</h1>
In addition to platelet aggregation, the coagulation process of the human body is also an indispensable link of various coagulation factors. Vitamin K2 can make the liver produce prothrombin, as well as various other coagulation factors activation, if the lack of vitamin K2, blood coagulation will be slow, the emergence of clotting disorders.
Therefore, the main role of vitamin K is to maintain the normal operation of blood clotting function. Commonly used drugs are vitamin K1 tablets and injections, which work after being converted into vitamin K2 in the human body after use. However, coagulation factors rely on liver synthesis, so the coagulation disorder caused by liver insufficiency is not obvious only by supplementing vitamin K.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="18" > third, vitamin K can assist in calcium supplementation</h1>
Older people, especially women after menopause, are prone to osteoporosis. But even if many people supplement with calcium and vitamin D, the effect is not very obvious, because the supplemented calcium is not deposited on the bones. Increasing weight-bearing exercise can promote calcium deposition, and vitamin K can also be used to help.
Vitamin K2 can carboxylate osteocalcin synthesized by osteoblasts, increase the affinity and binding activity with calcium, and bind to collagen into a network structure, providing a place for calcium deposition. And vitamin K2 can induce osteogenesis, promote osteoblast activation, increase osteoblast function, promote bone formation, and maintain bone health.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="19" >4. Vitamin K can inhibit vascular calcification</h1>
There is a vitamin K-dependent extracellular protein (MGP) in the human body that is widely distributed in the heart, lungs, kidneys, skin, and arterial walls. MGP is synthesized from chondrocytes, smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts and plays an important role in the process of vascular calcification.
In related studies, MGP can inhibit the occurrence of vascular calcification, but MGP requires vitamin K2 as coenzyme activation to be active. In people with angiocalification, if vitamin K2 is insufficient, it will lead to insufficient MGP activation and cannot inhibit the occurrence of vascular calcification. Therefore, vitamin K supplementation helps to inhibit the occurrence of vascular calcification.
To sum up, vitamin K can stop bleeding, supplement calcium, and inhibit vascular calcification. You can eat a normal diet, and adults without liver and gallbladder diseases and digestive system diseases are usually not lacking. When the microflora is unbalanced, the elderly population, and menopausal women have vitamin K deficiency, pay attention to supplementation. No matter which vitamin K is supplemented, it will eventually be converted to vitamin K2 to play a role.
However, it should be noted that people who are in a state of hypercoagulability, such as taking anticoagulant drugs such as warfarin and rivaroxaban, cannot supplement vitamin K. Medication needs to be taken under the guidance of a doctor, have doubts about medication, please consult a doctor or pharmacist, I am a pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me, share more health knowledge.