Vitamin K

Vitamin K – fat-soluble vitamin. This vitamin stocks up in small doses in a liver, has property to collapse on light and in alkaline solutions. Vitamin K in 1935 was discovered by the Danish scientist Henry Damme. For the opening it received the Nobel Prize. Damme found out that vitamin is important for coagulation (blood coagulation) owing to what it also received a letter k.

In the nature vitamins of group K are presented by two forms:

• Vegetable phylloquinone (k1);
• Bacterial менахинон (k2).

Phylloquinone regulates processes of a blood coagulation in an organism, accelerates healing of wounds and stops bleeding. It is extremely necessary for ensuring full activity of cells of a liver. In case of shortage of vegetable phylloquinone production of many components of blood participating in coagulation processes decreases, permeability of capillaries increases.

Disturbance of its absorption in digestive tract owing to disturbances in gepatobiliarny system or because of intestines diseases is the main reason for deficit of phylloquinone at the person.

Shortage of vitamin at small children leads to a hemorrhagic disease.

The alimentary factor does not play an essential role in formation of a vitamin deficiency of group K. It is connected with their prevalence in foodstuff, and also high resistance to heat treatment.

Vitamin K role for an organism

Vitamin K is enzimovitaminy, gormonovitaminy and antioxidant. It is important for a blood coagulation. It is at the moment proved that process of a blood coagulation demands presence of at least 10 active proteins, synthesis 5 of which directly depends on presence at an organism of vitamins of group K.

Vitamin is necessary for a liver for production of a prothrombin (the substance helping formation of blood clots), stops internal bleedings. Besides, vitamin helps to hold calcium as a part of a bone tissue.

Lack of vitamin K of an organism

The only documentary confirmed symptom of shortage of vitamin is the hemorrhage (free bleeding).

In normal conditions deficit of vitamin K at the person is almost impossible as intestines bacteria constantly make it in small amounts which come directly to a blood stream. In addition, vitamin is present at many vegetable products.

Nevertheless, as vitamin K is fat-soluble, for its normal assimilation at intestines there has to be a small amount of fat.

Hypovitaminosis can be caused:

• Disbioz of intestines (for example, after treatment by streptocides and antibiotics);
• Lack of the bile acids necessary for digestion of fat-soluble vitamins (for example, at pathology of biliary tract or a liver);
• Poisoning with antivitamins k (cephalosporins of the third generation, coumarinic anticoagulants).

It is possible to meet a hypovitaminosis at newborns when for the 2-4th days of life bleeding from the umbilical rest, a melena, a metrorrhagia, and appears in especially hard cases – hemorrhage in a liver, adrenal glands, a brain, lungs. It is caused by the fact that at newborns intestines are sterile, that is vitamin K is not synthesized by microflora.

In spite of the fact that women's milk contains not enough this vitamin, breastfeeding is capable to provide the child with maternal factors of coagulation and to reduce risk of development of a hemorrhagic disease of newborns.

Today in most hospitals the newborn right after the birth enter vitamin B a type of injections for deficit prevention.

Excess of vitamin K

Even at excessive reception of vitamin toxic side effects meet extremely seldom.

Administration of vitamin B to a synthetic form can lead to yellowing of eyes and skin, to increase in bilirubin in blood, hemolitic anemia.

Daily need for vitamin K

The adult healthy person needs daily consumption of 120 mkg of vitamin. At dietary food requirement makes from 0,12 to 0,36 mg a day.

Food sources

The main food sources of vitamin K are: Bruxelles and cauliflower, salad, spinach, vegetable marrows, oats, cheese, eggs, oil, beet, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, peaches, oranges, wheat, corn, bananas, carrots, fresh parsley, green tea.

In a small amount vitamin contains in nettle leaves, stigmas of corn, cereals, milk, a carrot tops of vegetable, mountain ash fruits, a yarrow.

The drugs containing vitamin K

Medicine as a part of which there is a vitamin is Vikasolum.

Interaction

Excessive reception of calcium is capable to influence vitamin synthesis, worsens its comprehensibility and can cause internal bleeding.

Excessive reception of vitamin E (about 2200 ME a day) reduces digestion of vitamin K from digestive tract.