Lindy Valdez
Fat-soluble vitamin K is very important for the body. Among other things, it is involved in the production of several blood proteins. Some of them promote blood clotting, others slow down the clotting process. The body also needs vitamin K to store calcium in the bones.
There are two main forms of the vitamin: Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) is found in plant foods. Vitamin K2 (menaquinone) comes from animal and bacterial sources. Incidentally, the latter is much better absorbed by the body.
What can vitamin K do?
Around eight million people in Germany suffer from osteoporosis (bone atrophy). Most of these are postmenopausal women. But studies from the Netherlands give those affected hope.
Taken regularly in large amounts (45 mg daily), vitamin K can slow bone loss by around 70 percent – better than some medications achieve. And the vital substance also protects healthy people from fractures.
The skin is also happy about an ideal supply of vitamin K because it has a tightening effect. Since it also reduces swelling and redness, it is used in creams. By the way: The skin diseases rosacea and couperose are treated with high doses of vitamin K.
What is the daily requirement?
The question of the daily requirement is difficult to answer. How much vitamin K1 and K2 the body needs has not been scientifically proven. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) estimates the daily requirement as follows: Adolescents from the age of 15 and adults need 60 to 70 micrograms, depending on gender. From the age of 50, the daily requirement increases to 80 micrograms for men and 65 micrograms for women.
This need can easily be met. A large serving of spinach or broccoli is enough. And just 25 grams of Brussels sprouts cover your daily needs. If you don’t like cabbage and the like, you can prepare a salad (for example lamb’s lettuce or lettuce) with chicken and sunflower oil.
Some oil should not be missing anyway, because vitamin K is fat-soluble. The body can only use it if the vegetables are not consumed pure. The gallery shows which other foods are rich in vitamin K
