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Vitamin K

Posted by Blog Friday, March 4, 2011

 Green Leafy Vitamin

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin needed for blood coagulation. Coagulation refers to the process of blood clotting. Vitamin K was discovered by a Danish scientist, Henrik Dam, in the late 1920s. He discovered a factor that was causing excessive bleeding and was missing from some diets. He published his work in a German journal and called the new coagulation vitamin Koagulationsvitamin. The initial letter in this word is how vitamin K got its name.

Forms of Vitamin K

Plants synthesize phylloquinone, which is known as vitamin K1. Bacteria can also synthesize vitamin K in several forms. The vitamin K made by bacteria is known as menaquinone, or vitamin K2. There are many forms of menaquinone made by bacteria, each with different numbers of side chains. The different forms of vitamin K have the same action. However, they may vary in absorption and tissue distribution. Intestinal absorption is influenced by the food source of the vitamin. The varying side chains on vitamin K affect the fat solubility, and this affects tissue distribution.


The Forms of Vitamin K
Phylloquinone Vitamin K1
Menaquinone Vitamin K2
Menadione Vitamin K3 (no longer used)


Certain proteins are able to bind calcium with the assistance of vitamin K. Glutamic acid is one of the amino acids used to make certain proteins. Vitamin K converts the glutamic acid residues in certain proteins to a form of glutamic acid that can bind calcium. Vitamin K is a coenzyme needed by an enzyme that converts zglutamic acid residues into gamma-carboxyglutamic acid. Once vitamin K has converted the glutamic acid  the protein is then able to bind calcium.

 There aremore than one dozen proteins affected by vitamin K. These proteins are vital for blood coagulation and bone strength.

More about K -Vitamin:

Vitamin K

Vitamin K and Blood Clotting

Vitamin K and Bone Mineralization

Deficiency of Vitamin K

Food Sources of Vitamin K

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