La Vitamin K was discovered in 1929 as an essential nutrient for blood clotting; the discovery was reported in a German magazine where it was called "Koagulationsvitamin", from which the letter K.
Dentist Weston Price discovered it by studying the relationship between diet and disease in different populations; non-industrial diets were rich in some unidentified nutrients, which appeared to provide protection against tooth decay and chronic disease: this factor was later identified in the vitamin K2.
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VITAMIN K1 AND K2
There are two main forms of vitamin K:
- Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone): found in plant foods such as green leafy vegetables;
- Vitamin K2 (menaquinone): present in some foods of animal origin and in fermented foods;
HOW DOES VITAMIN K WORK?
Vitamin K activate the protein which play a role in blood clotting, in metabolism of the football and in heart health.
One of his most important functions Is that of regulate calcium deposition; it promotes calcification of bones and prevents calcification of blood vessels and kidneys.
Some scientists suggest that separate as different nutrients Vitamin K1 and Vitamin K2, as animal studies show that Vitamin K2 alone reduces calcification of blood vessels and improves bone and heart health.
BENEFITS OF VITAMIN K.
- Heart disease prevention: the accumulation of calcium in the arteries is a risk factor for heart disease; vitamin K helps reduce calcium deposits in the arteries.
- Reduction of osteoporosis risk: osteoporosis is a very common disease, especially among elderly women and increases the risk of bone fractures; Vitamin K, thanks to its central role in the metabolism of calcium, the main mineral of bones and teeth, activates two protein: the GLA protein of the matrix and osteocalcin, which help build and maintain healthy bones.
- Dental health: it is reasonable to assume that this nutrient also affects the health of the teeth; one of the main regulatory proteins of dental health is, in fact, osteocalcin, activated by vitamin K2; it triggers a mechanism that stimulates the growth of new dentin.
- Cancer prevention: Several clinical studies suggest that vitamin K2 reduces liver cancer recurrence, increases survival times and is related to a lower risk of advanced prostate cancer.
WHERE IS VITAMIN K FOUND?
several foods are rich in vitamin K1, but vitamin K2 is more difficult to find. Our body partially converts vitamin K1 into K2; this is very useful because the amount of vitamin K1 is 10 times the amount of K2, but it is not enough, so it is good to eat foods that contain vitamin K2 directly.
Vitamin K2 is found mainly in some animal and fermented foods, not very common in diets:
- High-fat dairy products from grass-fed cows
- Egg yolks
- Liver
- Other internal organs
- Fermented foods such as sauerkraut and miso
La Vitamin K is fat soluble, so lean, low-fat animal products don't contain much of it.
If your doctor suggests you increase your intake of this vitamin, but these foods are inaccessible, you may want to consider taking some K2 supplements.
The benefits of vitamin K2 supplementation can be enhanced if combined with the intake of vitamin D, since these two vitamins have synergistic effects.
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