Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting and is mainly found in green vegetables. Deficiency is rare but can occur in certain groups of people. Here you can find out which different symptoms can indicate a vitamin K deficiency and what the consequences are.
What does our body actually need vitamin K for and which foods contain it? In the following you will learn what vitamin K is exactly, what functions it fulfills and what happens when we suffer from a vitamin K deficiency.
Table of Contents
What is vitamin K?
Like all vitamins, vitamin K is essential for our body – we have to get it from outside in order to survive. Vitamin K is required for building, remodeling and maintaining our bone mass and plays a crucial role in blood clotting. Because the K in vitamin K stands for coagulation – another word for blood clotting through the formation of a blood clot. This mechanism ensures that wounds outside and inside our body are closed quickly and we don’t bleed to death. Since vitamin K activates the necessary coagulation factors, a deficiency can have serious health consequences. Fortunately, a vitamin K deficiency is almost impossible with a balanced diet. However, certain medications, an unbalanced diet or Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis cause a vitamin K deficiency.
Vitamin K deficiency: 8 symptoms and consequences
If you suffer from chronic inflammatory bowel disease, you should definitely have your doctor do a blood test to determine your vitamin K levels. Furthermore, these symptoms and consequences can indicate an undersupply or a deficiency:
1. Bleeding gums
The most typical and noticeable symptom of a vitamin K deficiency is a tendency to bleed . Since blood clotting is disturbed due to the lack of vitamin K, the blood platelets can no longer close wounds sufficiently and bleeding gums or nosebleeds occur more often and even small wounds result in unexpectedly large amounts of blood. Since the vitamin does not pass through the placenta sufficiently, so-called vitamin K deficiency bleeding can occur, especially in newborns , within the first twelve weeks. For this reason, vitamin K prophylaxis usually takes place after the birth.
2. Bruises
Just like external bleeding from the gums or nose, a vitamin K deficiency can also promote internal bleeding. This tendency to bleed can manifest itself in the form of bruises, i.e. bruising under the skin. If you bruise unexpectedly from even the slightest touch, this could indicate a vitamin K deficiency or a blood clotting disorder. It becomes dangerous if the deficiency occurs together with a stomach ulcer , for example , since serious internal bleeding can occur.
3. Brittle bones
Vitamin K is doubly important for your bone health: together with vitamin D and calcium, it not only promotes the build-up of bone mass, but also inhibits the activity of the so-called osteoclasts . These break down the bone substance and thus promote osteoporosis. In a cohort study of over 72,000 women , researchers at Harvard Medical School found that those with the lowest levels of vitamin K had a significantly increased risk of fractures . However, the daily consumption of lettuce and other green vegetables can effectively counteract this danger.
4. Blood in the urine
If blood clotting is disturbed as a result of a vitamin K deficiency, in severe cases even red blood cells can get into the urine of those affected. In the case of so-called hematuria , the urine can therefore turn slightly red under certain circumstances. The phenomenon also occurs in some kidney diseases such as kidney stones or kidney cancer.
5. Stomach bleeding with vomiting
The increased tendency to bleed as a result of a vitamin K deficiency can also make itself felt inside the body. In addition to the intestines, the stomach can also be affected by bleeding. Heavier stomach bleeding can even lead to bloody vomiting – a clear alarm signal that should prompt you to see a doctor immediately. Because in addition to a vitamin K deficiency, ulcers, inflammation of the gastric mucosa or foreign bodies can also be triggers.
6. Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Several studies on animals and humans have already shown that vitamin K is important for healthy blood vessels . As part of the Rotterdam Heart Study, researchers discovered that those test subjects who consumed a lot of foods with a high vitamin K2 content over the observation period of ten years had significantly fewer deposits in the vessel walls and were therefore less likely to develop arteriosclerosis , than those who were low in vitamin K. With a good supply of vitamin K, the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) also decreased and the general cardiovascular health of the participants improved.
7. Pitch black stool
Due to the increased tendency to bleed and possible stomach bleeding with vitamin K deficiency, your stool can also become discolored. While bright red traces of blood on the anus or on the faeces indicate that there is bleeding in the rear sections of the intestine, hemorrhoids or anal fissures, for example, a dark to pitch-black discoloration – also called tarry stool – indicates that the bleeding is already occurring in the stomach or even in the esophagus. Because the bright red blood pigment is converted into hematin chloride by contact with stomach acidconverted and discolored as a result dark to black. In such a case you should contact your doctor immediately – unless you are sure that the discoloration is due to the excessive consumption of beetroot, blueberries or iron tablets.
8. Difficulty concentrating and tiredness
An undersupply of vitamin K is not always noticeable through typical symptoms such as a tendency to bleed. Unfortunately, diffuse symptoms such as lack of concentration, constant tiredness or headaches can also occur if you lack vitamin K. Especially mild deficiencies are difficult to identify with such general symptoms, since general malaise occurs with most vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Therefore, go to your trusted doctor for clarification if you have recently been unusually tired and could hardly concentrate.
Foods that are particularly high in vitamin K
You can easily meet your vitamin K needs with these foods :
- Kale
- Spinach
- Rocket
- Broccoli
- lettuce
- cauliflower
- sauerkraut
- Yoghurt and cottage cheese with a high fat content
Vitamin K1 and K2: That’s the difference
Vitamin K is not a single nutrient, but a group of structurally related substances. There is vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) , which is mainly found in green plants and contributes to photosynthesis, and vitamin K2 (menaquinone) , which is mainly found in animal foods and is formed by intestinal bacteria. Despite belonging to the vitamin K group, K1 and K2 fulfill different tasks in the human body: while vitamin K1 is essential for the blood clotting process and protects the arteries from arteriosclerosis , vitamin K2 is involved in bone remodeling and is necessary for sufficient bone density. Since it performs this task in conjunction with vitamin D, among other things, therecommended to take vitamin D and vitamin K2 together to take advantage of the synergy. However , the consumer advice center emphasizes that these are only theoretical considerations and that the point of taking them together has not been sufficiently proven.
Other vitamin deficiencies
It has to be emphasized again and again that most vitamin deficiencies hardly ever occur in Germany – even with unhealthy diets. Also, taking prophylactic vitamin supplements is rarely a good idea. Contrary to what one might get from looking at drugstore or supermarket shelves, we’re not all deficient in vitamin C, zinc, or folic acid . However, in certain life situations, such as pregnancy, extreme stress or certain illnesses, it can happen that we lack vitamins or minerals such as folic acid, iodine, zinc or iron . An undersupply of vitamin D is also not uncommon in our latitudes – thisshould, however, always be diagnosed by a doctor to avoid the unnecessary intake of preparations. Equally common is a vitamin B12 deficiency in vegan people, which must be prevented or corrected at all costs.
Book tips for a healthy diet
So that you can cover all the nutrients in your diet and eat your fill in a healthy way, we recommend the following nutritional guides.
