Vitamin K

Vitamin K

• Phylloquinones (K1)
– Leafy green vegetables
• Menaquinones (K2)
– From bacteria
– Fermented cheese, liver and soy products
• Menadione
– Synthetic form
 Vitamin K
Table 2: Selected Food Sources of Vitamin K (Phylloquinone, Except as Indicated)

Micrograms
(mcg) per Percent
Food serving DV
Natto, 3 ounces (as MK-7) 850 1,062
Collards, frozen, boiled, ½ cup 530 662
Turnip greens, frozen, boiled ½ 426 532
cup
Spinach, raw, 1 cup 145 181
Kale, raw, 1 cup 113 141
Broccoli, chopped, boiled, ½ cup 110 138
Soybeans, roasted, ½ cup 43 54
Carrot juice, ¾ cup 28 34
Soybean oil, 1 tablespoon 25 31
Edamame, frozen, prepared, ½ 21 26
cup
Pumpkin, canned, ½ cup 20 25
Pomegranate juice, ¾ cup 19 24
Okra, raw, ½ cup 16 20
synthetic Vitamin K

Plants

Bacteria
Fermented products
(cheese, soy)
 Vitamin K Absorption, Transport, Metabolism,
and Storage
• No digestion required
• Phylloquinone absorbed in duodenum
• Menaquinones absorbed by passive diffusion from
ileum and colon
• Transported in chylomicrons and LDL
• Liver metabolizes
• Major storage form (in liver) is menaquinones (MK7)
• Body’s turnover of vitamin K is rapid – About 1.5
days
 Vitamin K Functions

• Vitamin K and blood clotting

– Fibrinogen must be converted to fibrin
– Vitamin K in carboxylation of glutamic acid residues
– Anticoagulants
 Diet restricts vitamin K
• Vitamin K and bone
– Used for carboxylation reactions
 Vitamin K, Blood Clotting

Stephen
Christmas-
hemophilia B

Human factor IX

Vitamin K is a co-factor that

makes Protein C active
Vitamin K Functions
and Cycle
 Vitamin K Funtions

• Bone tissue proteins

– Osteocalcin (bone Gla protein)
 Found in bone
 Activation/carboxylation of 3 glutamic acid residues allows
osteocalcin to bind calcium
 Promotes bone mineralization
– Matrix Gla protein (or MGP)
 Found in bone, cartilage and blood vessels
 Activation/carboxylation of 5 glutamic acid residues allows MGP
to bind calcium
 Inhibits vascular calcification
 Vitamin K

• Interactions with other nutrients

– Vitamins A and E antagonize vitamin K
 Interfere with absorption and metabolism
• Metabolism and excretion
– Phylloquinone almost completely metabolized then
excreted
– Menaquinone metabolism not known
– Menadione metabolites excreted in urine and (mostly)
feces
 Vitamin K

• Adequate Intake
– Men: 120 µg/day; women: 90 µg/day
• Deficiency
– Newborns
– Malabsorption
– Antibiotics
• Toxicity – synthetic menadione only
• UL- none
 Vitamin K Assessment

• Symptoms
– Impaired blood clotting
– Bruising and bleeding

• Assessment of nutriture
– Plasma or serum phylloquinone
– Blood clotting or prothrombin time
– Under carboxylated vitamin K-dependent proteins