New Delhi, February 22 (IANS). Deficiency of calcium, iron, or vitamin D is often discussed when health deteriorates. But there is also a vitamin, whose deficiency causes serious diseases. This vitamin is Vitamin K. Common people have less information about it. Helping blood to clot when needed, keeping bones strong, and protecting the heart tubes, all these functions are associated with Vitamin K. When its quantity decreases in the body, then problems gradually start appearing.
In the language of science, Vitamin K is an essential fat-soluble compound, which activates many proteins within the body. These proteins help in forming blood clots, so that there is no excessive bleeding in case of injury. This is why even a minor injury can become serious due to Vitamin K deficiency. Many people start having nosebleeds, bleeding gums or getting blue marks on the body easily without any reason. This may be a sign that the power of blood clotting within the body is weakening.
The role of Vitamin K is not limited to blood alone. It also makes bones strong. It helps make a protein called osteocalcin, which binds calcium with bones. When vitamin K is deficient, calcium cannot be properly assimilated into the bones. The result is that the bones gradually become weak and in the future the risk of diseases like osteoporosis increases.
Vitamin K is also closely related to heart health. It helps in preventing unnecessary accumulation of calcium in the arteries of the body. When its level decreases, calcium starts getting deposited in the arteries, causing them to harden. This causes difficulty in supplying blood to the heart and can increase the risk of heart disease. In this way, vitamin K also takes care of heart health.
Vitamin K is even more important for newborn babies. At the time of birth, babies have very little stock of it in their bodies and their intestines do not have bacteria that can produce vitamin K. For this reason, some children may have a serious problem called Hemorrhagic Disease of the Newborn, in which there is a risk of bleeding inside the body or in the brain. This is why doctors recommend giving Vitamin K injection to the newborn immediately after birth so that this fatal condition can be prevented.
–IANS
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