Vitamin K sources, digestion, functions, deficiency

1. Mrs.Nagamani.T, MSc Nursing
Quality Health Care College of Nursing

2.  Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that comes in
two forms.
 The main form Vitamin K1 also called as
phylloquinone, is the major form of vitamin
found in plants particularly in green leafy
vegetables
 The other type, menaquinones, are found in
some animal foods and fermented foods.
Menaquinones can also be produced by bacteria
in the human body.

3.  The body needs vitamin K to produce prothrombin, a
protein and clotting factor that is important in blood
clotting and bone metabolism.
 Newborns normally receive a vitamin K injection to
protect them from bleeding in the skull, which could be
fatal.
 Vitamin K may help keep blood pressure lower by
preventing mineralization, where minerals build up in
the arteries. This enables the heart to pump blood
freely through the body.
 Increased blood levels of vitamin K have been linked
withTrusted Source improved episodic memory in
older adults.
 There appears to be a correlation between low intake of
vitamin K and osteoporosis.

6.  Vitamin K of dietary origin is absorbed in
small intestine in presence of bile salts.
 In mucosal cellsof intestine absorbed vitamin K
is incorporated into chylomicrons.
 It reaches liver after entering circulation through
the lymph. Liver distributes vitamin K to other
tissues.
 It rarely accumulates in liver and peripheral
tissues.
Phylloquinone, also known as vitamin K1, is
found in plants. When people eat it, bacteria in
the large intestine convert it to its storage form,
vitamin K2. It is absorbed in the small intestine
and stored in fatty tissue and the liver.

9.  Phylloquinone
 Green leafy vegetables including collard and
turnip greens, kale, spinach,
broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, lettuces
 Soybean and canola oil
 Salad dressings made with soybean or canola
oil
 Fortified meal replacement shakes
 Menaquinones
 Natto (fermented soybeans)
 Smaller amounts in meat, cheese, eggs

10.  Here are sample some food sources of
vitamin K:
 10 sprigs of parsley contains 90 micrograms
(mcg)
 a 3-ounce serving of natto contains 850 mcg
 a half-cup serving of frozen and boiled
collard greens contains 530 mcg
 one cup of raw spinach contains 145 mcg
 1 tablespoon of soybean oil contains 25 mcg
 a half-cup serving of grapes contains 11 mcg
 a hard-boiled egg contains 4 mcg

11.  The recommended adequate intake for vitamin
K depends on age and gender.
 Women aged 19 years and over should
consume 90 micrograms (mcg) a day, and men
should have 120 mcg.

12. 1. Haemorrhage in the new born is most common vitamin K
deficiency symptom. uncontrolled bleeding through nose
(epitaxis) and gastrointestinal tract is likely to occur.
However it can be treated successfully with intra muscular
injections of vitamin K.
2. In adults vitamin K deficiency rarely occurs. However
prolonged use of antibiotics may cause vitamin K
deficiency due to elimination of intestinal flora.
The following are the most common signs of a deficiency.
 A longer time for blood to clot or a prolonged
prothrombin time (as measured in a physician’s office)
 Bleeding
 Hemorrhaging
 Osteopenia or osteoporosis

13. THANK YOU