When a study in Holland noticed the link between the poor treatment of New Coronavirus patients and the low vitamin K content in the body, vitamin K began to enter the line of vision.
Why is vitamin K suddenly concerned?
What is vitamin K? Why does it suddenly appear in the news recently?
When a study in Holland noticed the link between the poor treatment of New Coronavirus patients and the low vitamin K content in the body, vitamin K began to enter the line of vision.
Vitamin K function
In short, vitamin K has the effect of promoting blood coagulation, so it is also the necessary material for the synthesis of hemagglutination factor.
It helps to heal wounds and prevent massive bleeding. If the body lacks vitamin K, the clotting time will be prolonged.
Many newborns receive vitamin K injections at birth because their vitamin K levels are low. This is done to prevent the newborn from suffering from rare and severe massive bleeding.
There is evidence that vitamin K can also promote bone and heart health, but further research is needed.
Vitamin K group included K1, K2, K3 and K4, but the most important were K1 (chlorophyll) and K2 (menaquinone).
However, it is generally believed that K2 may be more easily absorbed and stored for a longer time than K1.
But the human body can also convert some vitamin K1 into K2.
Vitamin K1 is mainly found in green leafy vegetables, such as kale, spinach and cauliflower.
Cheese and vitamin K2
A food and nutrition in Europe study found different levels of K2 in some French and Dutch cheeses. But its content depends on cheese variety, ripening time, fat content and cheese producing area.
But generally speaking, the K2 content of high-fat cooked cheese is relatively high, and the K2 content of carmenberg cheese, Haoda cheese and Yidan cheese is relatively high.
In addition, vitamin K is also a fat soluble vitamin, which means that vitamin K is best absorbed when consumed with foods rich in healthy fats, such as olive oil, high-fat fish, nuts and seeds.
Therefore, taking green leafy vegetables as an example, adding a little olive oil to salad may be more beneficial to the body's absorption.
Adults need about 1 microgram (μ g) of vitamin K per kilogram of body weight per day. So if you weigh 50 kg, you need about 50 micrograms of vitamin K a day.
British nutrition expert ibitoye explains that most people can meet their vitamin K needs through diet.
Vitamin K deficiency is not common among British adults, ibitay said.
However, some people may increase the risk of vitamin K deficiency due to certain physical conditions, such as poor fat absorption.
Since the human body can store vitamin K, the UK Department of Health recommends that if you want to take vitamin K supplements, you should pay special attention, because excessive vitamin K is harmful to the body.
At the same time, people taking warfarin anticoagulants should not take vitamin K supplements without consulting a doctor. They should also be careful not to eat foods rich in vitamin K, because it can interfere with the efficacy of anticoagulants.
Therapeutic effect of vitamin K and cowid-19
What is the relationship between vitamin K level and the treatment effect of New Coronavirus patients?
The study in Holland showed that New Coronavirus patients lacking vitamin K may be more severe than those with normal vitamin K.
After examining the situation of vitamin K, the researchers are still considering whether it plays a role in protecting lung elastic fibers, because New Coronavirus can damage lung elastic fibers.
Damage to elastic fibers in the lungs can lead to dyspnea and shortness of breath, ibitay explained.
Although the results of the study suggest that low vitamin K levels in patients with new crowns may be related to improper treatment, the study is only observational and has no causal relationship, ibitay said.
Researchers are seeking funding for further studies to see if vitamin K supplements can improve the prognosis of New Coronavirus patients.
