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Vitamins are organic compounds that promote the body's metabolism. Among them, Vitamin K1 has the ability to promote blood clotting, while providing many benefits such as preventing osteoporosis, improving memory, stabilizing blood sugar levels,.. Let's delve deeper into this type of vitamin K with Mytour Blog to find out more about how to supplement it appropriately based on the necessary dosage for the body.
What is Vitamin K1?
Vitamin K is a group of vitamins that play an important role in human health. Vitamin K1, vitamin K2 are structurally similar and are fat-soluble, helping to activate blood clotting factors in the body. Vitamin K1 naturally produced is called phylloquinone, and when synthesized by the body, it's referred to as phytonadione.
Typically, Vitamin K1 accounts for 75 – 90% of the total required vitamin K in the body. This type of vitamin is found in various food sources from protein to fruits and vegetables, with the most nutritious being meat, fish, tomatoes, cabbage, purslane,... Vitamin K1 when entering the intestines will be converted by bacteria into vitamin K2 for storage and to support various life activities.
Vitamin K accounts for 75 – 90% of the total required vitamin (Source: Internet)Effects of vitamin K1 on health
Regular supplementation of vitamin K through diet brings many health benefits to humans, enhancing physical fitness, hence highly encouraged.
Participation in blood clotting process
Phylloquinone is responsible for producing precursor proteins of blood clotting, such as factor II (prothrombin), factors VII, IX, X, as well as proteins C, S, Z. This illustrates the importance of vitamin K in the activation of blood clotting factors, especially in the liver.
Vitamin K promotes rapid blood clotting process (Source: Internet)Preventing osteoporosis, promoting strong bones
The enzyme Gamma-glutamyl carboxylase contained in this type of vitamin, when carboxylated, produces osteocalcin protein - a type of protein that promotes bone development. Research on the correlation between vitamin K and age-related osteoporosis shows that women absorbing less than 109 micrograms/day of phylloquinone have a 30% higher risk of fractures than normal.
The components of vitamin K help prevent bone diseases (Source: Internet)Helps improve memory in older adults
A study suggests that the concentration of phylloquinone in the blood is associated with human memory across different age stages. This indicates that if an older adult has a high blood concentration of vitamin K, their verbal memory performance is comparable to that of younger individuals.
Regular vitamin K supplementation can enhance memory (Source: Internet)Good for cardiovascular health
This type of vitamin helps prevent mineralization, keeping blood pressure stable. This facilitates easier blood pumping throughout the body, ensuring smoother and more regular circulation. Therefore, phylloquinone plays a crucial role in cardiovascular health, especially in older individuals. Regular vitamin K supplementation also supports reducing the risk of stroke.
Vitamin K helps prevent mineralization, enhancing cardiovascular health (Source: Internet)Stabilizing blood sugar levels
Research has shown that vitamin K is a factor in balancing insulin in the body. Insulin resistance in patients can significantly improve with regular supplementation of this vitamin through diet. This also helps prevent diabetes.
A diet rich in vitamin K supports stabilizing blood sugar levels (Source: Internet)Preventing vitamin K1 deficiency in newborns
Newborns typically have very low levels of vitamin K1 because this compound cannot be transferred from mother to child through the placenta. Therefore, to prevent the risk of common blood disorders, administering this type of vitamin to infants immediately after birth is strongly recommended.
Vitamin K deficiency in newborns can lead to blood disorders (Source: Internet)Guidelines for effective use of vitamin K1
While vitamin K offers many health benefits, it should be used with appropriate dosage to avoid unwanted side effects.
How much vitamin K1 supplementation is needed?
For healthy individuals, this vitamin is recommended to be used up to 10mg/day. However, if experiencing vitamin K deficiency or needing to promote blood clotting due to injury, surgery,... the dosage may be adjusted according to the doctor's instructions.
Best time to take vitamin K1
The characteristic of the vitamin K group is its solubility in fat, meaning it requires time for absorption and can only dissolve in the presence of fat. This process also requires bile acid for emulsification because fat is insoluble in blood. Therefore, the ideal time to supplement vitamin K is about 30 minutes after a meal.
The appropriate time to supplement vitamin K1 is 30 minutes after a meal (Source: Internet)Some potential side effects of using vitamin K1
Unless used in excessive amounts, vitamin K hardly causes any side effects in healthy individuals. However, in cases of abuse, this compound can indeed lead to some unwanted symptoms, especially in infants such as:
- Abdominal pain or diarrhea
- Loss of appetite, decreased mobility in infants
- Difficulty breathing
- Generalized swelling
- Muscle stiffness, muscle pain
- Pale skin, jaundice, yellowing of the eyes
- Mood swings, frequent irritability.
Misusing vitamin K1 can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea (Source: Internet)Suggestions for foods rich in vitamin K1
Typically, for healthy individuals, vitamin K can be completely supplemented through diet rather than medication. Some foods rich in vitamin K include dark leafy greens such as kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, broccoli, beet greens... Additionally, soybean oil, mayonnaise, and vegetable butter can also help you supplement this type of vitamin for your body.
Typically, dark-colored vegetables will contain a lot of vitamin K1 (Source: Internet)Vitamin K1 has numerous beneficial effects on health such as promoting blood clotting, preventing osteoporosis, improving cardiovascular health,... therefore, it should be regularly supplemented through a suitable diet. For more articles on health-related topics, don't forget to visit Mytour's blog to stay updated with the latest information!
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