• Home
• Vitamins
• Vitamin K

Vitamin K

Interesting facts about vitamin K:

• Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin
  Vitamin K is one of the fat-soluble vitamins, which means in order for it to be adequately absorbed into the body, the food rich in vitamin K needs to be eaten with some fat at the same time to ensure absorption.
• Vitamin K is created by bacteria in the intestines
  Vitamin K can be created in the small intestine by "good" bacteria, if it is in short supply in the diet, which is normally obtained from plant-based foods.
• Vitamin K is mostly concentrated in the liver
  Most of the vitamin K in the body is concentrated in the liver, where it makes the blood clotting substance. There is also some vitamin K in the bones, kidneys, pancreas and the vascular system.

Most of the vitamin K in the body is concentrated in the liver, where it makes the blood clotting substance

• Vitamin K is found in two natural forms (K1, K2) and a synthetic form - K3 (menadione)
  Vitamin K is naturally found in two forms - vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) found in plant foods and vitamin K2 (menaquinone) found in the small intestine and it is created by the gut-friendly bacteria. There is also a synthetic form of vitamin K, called vitamin K3 (Menadione), but care should be taken with this form of vitamin K as it can easily cause more severe toxicity symptoms.

References

1. Cashman KD. Vitamin K status may be an important determinant of childhood bone health. Nutr Rev. 2005 Aug;63(8):284-9
2. Griffith HW. Minerals, Supplements and Vitamins - The Essential Guide. 2000 Fisher Books, USA
3. Knapen MH, Schurgers LJ, Vermeer C. Vitamin K(2) supplementation improves hip bone geometry and bone strength indices in postmenopausal women. Osteoporos Int. 2007 Feb 8
4. Lieberman S, Bruning N. The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book - Using Supplements for Optimal Health. 3rd Edition. Avery Publishing, New York, 2003
5. Mager DR, McGee PL, Furuya KN, Roberts EA. Prevalence of vitamin K deficiency in children with mild to moderate chronic liver disease. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2006 Jan;42(1):71-6
6. Office of Dietary Supplements USA - the official USA RDI for all vitamins, accessed 9 March 2007
7. Osiecki, Henry, The Nutrient Bible 2002, BioConcepts Publishing

Comments