Coagulation, or blood clotting, is an integral process in the body. If you have landed on this page searching which vitamin helps in blood clotting, you will get your answer right away! It is vitamin K! 

It can also be considered a top vitamin for blood circulation in the legs. Continue reading to know about how this vitamin helps in blood clotting and all related facts!

Among all the vitamins, vitamin K is known to play a vital role when it comes to the aspect of blood clotting. However, unlike several other vitamins, this one is not usually administered as a dietary supplement.

Vitamin K is fat-soluble. Basically, this vitamin is divided into sub-categories, mainly two kinds. These include vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. Phylloquinone, also known as vitamin K1, is obtained from plants and majorly green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach.

On the other hand, vitamin K2 or menaquinone works in a similar manner as vitamin K1 and is created naturally in the intestinal tract. Among food sources, it can be obtained largely from eggs, meat and cheese.

After an injury, the bleeding would continue unimpeded without a way to stop the flow. Clotting is the body’s natural process to prevent excess bleeding, without which even a small wound cause a person to bleed out. Blood clots refer to clumps of the blood of different sizes, which form in the interiors of the human body.

However, they can also cause harm by blocking the flow of blood to vital regions of the body. These clots can again be of two types – one that does not move about in the body and stay in place and another that breaks away from the site and moves to different body regions.

Prothrombin is a protein and clotting factor which is required for bone metabolism and the blood to clot. The body cannot produce prothrombin without vitamin K. This vitamin is responsible for blood clotting as it helps in regulating the blood coagulation process by assisting in the conversion of some coagulation factors to their mature forms.

Now for a further detailed understanding of the role of the vitamin in blood clotting, one must have an idea about the regulation of the formation of a blood clot. For that, it is important to be clear about hemostasis. The term hemo refers to blood, and stasis means to stop or halt. Hemostasis can be divided into two phases, namely, secondary and primary hemostasis.

Primary hemostasis includes the generation of a platelet plug surrounding the site of the damaged blood vessel. On the other hand, secondary hemostasis creates a protein mesh known as fibrin and reinforces the platelet plug. 

A set of coagulation factors should be activated in order to get to fibrin. All of these coagulation factors are enzymes that are activated through a process known as proteolysis. There are a total of 12 coagulation factors, starting from I to XIII – a factor VI is not present. It is these factors’ assimilation where vitamin K is essential for the blood clotting process.  

A majority of these factors are formed by the liver cells, and the production of the coagulation factor II, VII, IX and X need an enzyme that utilises vitamin K. All of this answers your query as to which vitamin is essential for blood clotting.

Vitamin K can be obtained by individuals from a number of sources. These include both food sources and dietary supplements.

Food sources of phylloquinone are vegetables, and this includes especially the green leafy ones, some fruits and vegetable oils. Dairy products, eggs and meat consist of a less amount of phylloquinone but decent amounts of menaquinone. Menaquinone can also be found in fermented foods like cheese.

But the amounts and forms of vitamin K present in these foods vary on certain factors. Animals synthesise MK-4 from a synthetic form of vitamin K known as menadione, which can be utilised in swine feed and poultry. Hence, pork and poultry products consist of MK-4 if the animal feed contains menadione.

There are some foods that are fortified with vitamin K like meal replacement bars and shakes.

Listed below are some foods, which act as good sources of vitamin K:

• Cooked kale
• Cooked mustard greens
• Raw Swiss chard
• Cooked collard greens
• Natto
• Raw spinach
• Cooked broccoli
• Cooked Brussels sprouts
• Beef liver
• Pork chops
• Chicken
• Goose liver paste
• Cooked green beans
• Prunes
• Kiwi
• Soybean oil
• Hard cheese
• Avocado
• Cooked green peas
• Soft cheese
• Fresh parsley
• Cooked beet greens
• Cooked cabbage
• Ground beef
• Bacon
• Pork liver
• Beef kidneys
• Duck breast
• Egg yolk
• Butter
• Whole milk

The above list of foods can help greatly after knowing which vitamin helps in blood clotting.

When vitamin K is consumed orally, the fat-soluble vitamins K1 and K2 do not result in symptoms of hypervitaminosis K. Even if taken in large amounts, they don’t turn out to be toxic in nature. But toxicity can occur due to menadione, which is sometimes referred to as vitamin K3.

Though this vitamin is needed for blood clotting, normal individuals must also take this vitamin in appropriate quantities as an excessive amount of vitamin K3 might cause a reduction in blood sugar levels.

Therefore, individuals who have diabetes must monitor these levels if they are being administered with a supplement of vitamin K. There can be other effects of toxicity of vitamin K, such as jaundice and anaemia (because of red blood cell rupture).

Now that you know which vitamin is necessary for blood clotting, visit a nutritionist and optimise your diet. He/she can help you receive the desired vitamin K, avoiding both deficiency and toxicity.