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23:38
Sam
The recent illness of my father inspired me to write this blog about a vitamin that does not get nearly as much attention as vitamin C. As you probably know that vitamin K is essential for blood clotting, but did you know that vitamin K also aids in bone health, blood vessels, brain cells, and eyes?It's true. Studies show that Vitamin K helps bones retain calcium. When it comes to providing benefits for cardiovascular health, vitamin K helps your body to prevent the accumulation of calcium in blood vessels. This helps prevent "hardening of the arteries" affects commonly associated with cardiovascular disease. In addition, recent studies show that vitamin K contributes to both brain and eye health to reduce the risk of dementia and age-related muscular degeneration.
So now that we've covered some benefits of adding vitamin K to your diet (think cooked dark green vegetables and soy and canola oil) will enter as factors of my father's medical condition in this blog. First, my dad suffered a minor stroke a few years ago and therefore he takes "blood" thinner medicines that help prevent future strokes. The problem is drugs ("the most common blood" thinner medicines) work by blocking function of vitamin K. That is begging the question: these drugs prevent the full benefits of vitamin K?
You'd think the simple answer would be yes, but since my dad's recent illness (which was made worse by the medications he takes) I've learned differently. According to doctors, medicines such as Coumadin (a blood thinning medicine) do not seem to adversely affect bone. However, further research indicates that calcification or hardening of the arteries may be an adverse side effect of some blood thinners. Obviously, for those taking blood thinners, the prevention of stroke is the most immediate concern. But doctors now tell patients that they should adjust your dose of medicine to coexist with a daily vitamin K intake consistent that is adequate to prevent major fluctuations in a day (major fluctuations can lead to illness.)
So how much vitamin K is recommended? According to the Institute of Medicine, healthy adults should consume 90 to 120 micrograms of vitamin K per day from foods in your diet. However, this holds the reference to forms of vitamin K supplements are absorbed five to 10 times more efficiently in the body than the natural vitamin K found in food. Thus, 10 micrograms in a supplement is similar to 50 to 100 in food.
So now that we've covered some benefits of adding vitamin K to your diet (think cooked dark green vegetables and soy and canola oil) will enter as factors of my father's medical condition in this blog. First, my dad suffered a minor stroke a few years ago and therefore he takes "blood" thinner medicines that help prevent future strokes. The problem is drugs ("the most common blood" thinner medicines) work by blocking function of vitamin K. That is begging the question: these drugs prevent the full benefits of vitamin K?
You'd think the simple answer would be yes, but since my dad's recent illness (which was made worse by the medications he takes) I've learned differently. According to doctors, medicines such as Coumadin (a blood thinning medicine) do not seem to adversely affect bone. However, further research indicates that calcification or hardening of the arteries may be an adverse side effect of some blood thinners. Obviously, for those taking blood thinners, the prevention of stroke is the most immediate concern. But doctors now tell patients that they should adjust your dose of medicine to coexist with a daily vitamin K intake consistent that is adequate to prevent major fluctuations in a day (major fluctuations can lead to illness.)
So how much vitamin K is recommended? According to the Institute of Medicine, healthy adults should consume 90 to 120 micrograms of vitamin K per day from foods in your diet. However, this holds the reference to forms of vitamin K supplements are absorbed five to 10 times more efficiently in the body than the natural vitamin K found in food. Thus, 10 micrograms in a supplement is similar to 50 to 100 in food.
Posted in: Diet plans
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