Vitamin K
Vitamin K is composed of several substances, including the most common, phylloquinone (K-l). Vitamin K is essential to normal blood clotting. It is important in helping your bones develop normal bone structure and in correcting osteoporosis.
Key uses of vitamin K:
- Used commonly in newborns to support their initial blood clotting functions and in people with bruising and bleeding disorders.
- Helps counteract overuse of a blood-thinning medicine called Coumadin.
Where you can find it: Found naturally in leafy green foods, yogurt, eggs, and some oils, especially from fish; also made by human intestinal bacteria.
How much to take: About 300 meg (from the diet and additional supplements) is the optimum daily intake of vitamin K.
Too little or too much: Toxicity is quite rare, but deficiency can lead to easy bruising and poor clotting of the blood.
