Vitamin K can not only stop bleeding and assist in calcium supplementation, but also inhibit vascular calcification

Vitamin K was first discovered by humans in 1934. It is a fat-soluble vitamin. Vitamin K can activate coagulation factors in the human body. Therefore, when vitamin K is deficient, it will lead to hemorrhagic diseases. Therefore, vitamin K has been used to treat coagulation disorders for a long time.

Because vitamin K is widely present in various foods and can be synthesized by symbiotic bacteria in the human intestine, it is usually not lacking, so vitamin K is considered an "unimportant" vitamin. However, research in recent years has found that vitamin K can not only stop bleeding, but also help supplement calcium and inhibit vascular calcification.

1. Vitamin K has many kinds. There are two kinds of naturally occurring vitamin K, namely vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. Vitamin K1 is widely found in green plants, while vitamin K2 is found in animals and synthesized by bacteria in the intestines. Artificially synthesized vitamin K includes K3, K4, K5, K7, etc. However, no matter which kind of vitamin K, it must eventually be converted into vitamin K2 to play a physiological role.

Generally speaking, as long as the diet is normal and the intestinal flora is balanced, there will be no lack of vitamin K. Vitamin K deficiency will only occur in infants and young children whose intestines are not fully developed, or who suffer from liver and gallbladder diseases, or who have severe diarrhea that causes an imbalance in intestinal flora, or who have long-term use of antibiotics that inhibit normal intestinal flora.

2. Vitamin K can make blood coagulate. In addition to platelet aggregation, various coagulation factors are also an indispensable part of the human body's coagulation process. Vitamin K2 can activate prothrombin produced by the liver and other coagulation factors. If vitamin K2 is lacking, blood coagulation will be slow and coagulation disorders will occur.

Therefore, the main function of vitamin K is to maintain the normal operation of blood coagulation function. Commonly used drugs include vitamin K1 tablets and injections, which are converted into vitamin K2 in the human body after use. However, blood coagulation factors rely on the liver for synthesis, so for blood coagulation disorders caused by liver dysfunction, supplementing vitamin K alone will not be effective.

3. Vitamin K can help supplement calcium. Elderly people, especially women after menopause, are prone to osteoporosis. But even if many people supplement calcium and vitamin D, the effect is not very obvious, because the supplemented calcium is not deposited in the bones. Increasing weight-bearing exercise can promote calcium deposition, and vitamin K can also help.

Vitamin K2 can carboxylate osteocalcin synthesized by osteoblasts, increase its affinity and binding activity with calcium, and combine with collagen to form a network structure, providing a place for calcium deposition. Vitamin K2 can also induce osteoblast formation, promote osteoblast activation, increase osteoblast function, promote bone formation, and maintain bone health.

4. Vitamin K can inhibit vascular calcification. There is a vitamin K-dependent extracellular protein (MGP) in the human body, which is widely distributed in the heart, lungs, kidneys, skin and arterial walls. MGP is synthesized by 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 needs vitamin K2 as a coenzyme to be activated in order to be active. In people with vascular calcification, if vitamin K2 is insufficient, MGP will be insufficiently activated and unable to inhibit the occurrence of vascular calcification. Therefore, supplementing vitamin K can help inhibit the occurrence of vascular calcification.

In summary, vitamin K can stop bleeding, supplement calcium, and inhibit vascular calcification. Adults who can eat normally and do not have liver and gallbladder diseases or digestive system diseases usually do not have vitamin K deficiency. When people with unbalanced flora, the elderly, and menopausal women have vitamin K deficiency, they should pay attention to supplementing it. No matter which kind of vitamin K is supplemented, it will eventually be converted into vitamin K2 to play a role.

However, it should be noted that people who are in a hypercoagulable state, such as those taking anticoagulant drugs such as warfarin and rivaroxaban, cannot supplement vitamin K. The drug must be taken under the guidance of a doctor. If you have any questions about the medication, please consult a doctor or pharmacist. I am pharmacist Huazi. Welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.