There are many great foods out there which serve as a great source for vitamin K. Vitamin K is a “fat soluble” vitamin, which means that although vitamin K foods will always provide those vitamins, the impact of the vitamins are best when ingested with fat. Vitamin K is an extremely important vitamin to have in your system, especially after an injury, during the recovery stage.
Before we get to the specific vitamin K rich foods, let’s review why vitamin K is so important and what it is most well known for. Vitamin K, while not one of the better known vitamins in the body, is a vital component of good health and is especially noticeable when the body needs to perform certain health functions, like heal from a cut. Vitamin K helps in blooding clotting, protects the human heart, and also assists and helps to build strong bones.
While it is strongly recommended that you eat foods rich in vitamin K, this one is really unique in that the body produces it naturally, and we can go long periods of time without eating foods with this vitamin and still be fine. The body produces this vitamin from bacteria inside of us that usually resides in the intestines. Even with that being so, it’s still a good idea for health purposes to eat a good variety of foods with Vitamin K.
And by far and away, the biggest and most common major source of Vitamin K is green leafy vegetables like collards, spinach, and turnip greens. People whose bodies aren’t producing enough Vitamin K, whether it’s because of a natural deficiency or a body’s increased need for it, can increase their supply drastically by eating these green leafy foods.
If you do have a deficiency of vitamin K in the body, there are several possible causes that may need to be addressed before you see drastic improvement. Some of the most common include:
o Antibiotics from medication interfering with the bacteria
o Health problems, especially those involving the gall bladder, cystic fibrosis, and Crohn’s disease
o Taking excessive amounts of mineral oil
o Liver disease or damage
o Chronic diarrhea
o Serious burns
All these factors could explain any deficiency of vitamin K in the body, as well as any extended time period where you are fed via IV instead of through regular food. A normal healthy body can usually produce all the vitamin K that is needed, but sometimes a little boost to help out is just what the doctor ordered.
So make sure to stock up on the green leafy vegetables that bring large amounts of this fantastic, if little recognized, vitamin into your system. You may not notice a lagging amount of vitamin K during your day to day activities the way you might instantly notice a lack of vitamins A, B, or C, but when you’re injured and need to heal, you’ll know the difference between a body that is full up on K, and one that isn’t. So stay healthy and have some greens – next time you need them your body will thank you.
By: Guido Nussbaum
Posts Tagged ‘Intestines’
Vitamin K Foods – Great Sources For Vitamin K
April 8th, 2010Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease With Vitamin C
December 28th, 2009Vitamin C is the most widely taken nutritional supplement on the market and is available in a variety of forms, including tablets, drink mixes, crystals in capsules or bulk powdered crystals. Vitamin C is present in mother’s milk and, in lower amounts, in raw cow’s milk, with pasteurized milk containing only trace amounts. This vitamin is most present in the liver and least present in the muscle but needed through out the body.
Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of collagen, an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, skin, and bone. Vitamin C can regenerate other antioxidants such as vitamin E; in the body vitamin E can regenerate C as well. This vitamin is required for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body. Relatively large doses of vitamin C may cause indigestion, particularly when taken on an empty stomach.
It has been shown that smokers who have diets poor in vitamin C are at a higher risk of lung-borne diseases than those smokers who have higher concentrations of Vitamin C in the blood. Biological tissues that accumulate over 100 times the level in blood plasma of vitamin C are the adrenal glands, pituitary, thymus, corpus luteum, and retina.
Studies suggest the presence of large quantities of sugar either in the intestines or in the blood can slow absorption of this vitamin. Several studies have demonstrated a blood pressure lowering effect of vitamin C supplementation. Also, when consumed in high doses it appears to interfere with the blood thinning effects of warfarin by lowering prothrombin time, as noted in case reports in the 1970s so consult your doctor if on medications..
In one Study, researchers instructed patients with documented coronary artery disease to take a single oral dose of either 2 g vitamin C or a placebo. Results, the researchers discovered that high doses of vitamin C can help prevent blood platelet sticking and fight cholesterol oxidation. Also, researchers discovered this vitamin can reduce the formation of potentially carcinogenic nitrogen-containing compounds in the stomach, offering protection from stomach cancer, researchers have reported.
French and German researchers found that vitamin C appeared to keep cells in the blood vessel wall from dying. The researchers, who studied immune indicators, such as serum immunoglobulin and neutrophil phagocytosis (how well your white blood cells can engulf and digest foreign bodies), concluded that vitamin C exerts a remarkable immuno-modulating action, in other words, improved immune function in all those who consumed vitamin C on a regular basis.
What are deficiency symptoms for vitamin C?
Scurvy is a disease resulting from lack of vitamin C, since without this vitamin, the synthesized collagen is too unstable to perform its function. Scurvy was common among those with poor access to fresh fruit and vegetables, such as remote, isolated sailors and soldiers. The amount of vitamin C required to prevent “chronic disease” appears to be more than that required for prevention of scurvy which is 30 – 60 milligrams per day. Based on scientific research, vitamin C also appears to improve oral absorption of iron, which is good news for those that are anemic.
Half of us in the United States will die from heart disease. The foundation of heart disease is atherosclerosis, the narrowing of our arteries with plaque. Treatment with vitamin C has consistently resulted in improved dilation of blood vessels in individuals with atherosclerosis as well as those with angina pectoris, congestive heart failure, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Researchers believe this protection from cell death could explain previous study findings which suggest that vitamin C benefits blood vessel function in people with congestive heart failure.
Vitamin C supplements are also generally regarded as safe in most individuals in recommended amounts, although there are rarely reported side effects including nausea, vomiting, heartburn, abdominal cramps, and headache. In addition, this vitamin is required for the synthesis of l-Carnitine, a small amino acid that is essential for the transport of fat to cellular organelles called mitochondria, for conversion to energy. If you have chronic fatigue syndrome, vitamin C may help by boosting energy production through the mitochondria.
Therefore, as in many studies of vitamin C intake and cardiovascular disease risk, it is difficult to separate the effects of vitamin C on stroke risk from the effects of other components such as diet and the consumption of fruits and vegetables. As with all dietitians an emphasis on the benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is important to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system. If one can not consume fruits and vegetables on a daily basis then supplementation of vitamin C is need in either capsule of tablet to fight the risk of disease.
By: Darrell Miller
