Turpentine baths

Among the many useful and needed by the body of substances there is a "Knight", which is often overlooked. This vitamin K. This is the defender of our skin, blood, bone and kidney was discovered early last century. Danish scientist Henrik Dam investigated effects of lack of cholesterol in chickens. After several weeks of poor nutrition cholesterol diet in chickens developed hemorrhage - bleeding in the muscle, subcutaneous fat and other tissues. The study found a substance having the property to stop the bleeding. This substance was named vitamin K (from Koagulationsvitamin - Vitamin coagulation).By the way, this discovery Henrik Dame in 1943 was awarded the Nobel Prize.

Vitamin K - a group of fat-soluble compounds are formed in two main forms: phylloquinone (herbal or vitamin K1) and menahinon (animal or vitamin K2).Vitamin K is synthesized in the small intestine of the special micro-organisms - bacteria, saprophytic.

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The main function of vitamin K in the body - to ensure the normal clotting of blood: it helps in the formation of a special chemical compound that is synthesized bythe liver and promotes blood clotting. In addition, vitamin K plays an important role in the formation and repair of bones - it provides a bone protein synthesis, which crystallizes calcium. This is very important for the kids, as well as for the unwary adults who received a fracture. Vitamin K is vital for women during menopause - this time they often develop osteoporosis (thinning of bone tissue, which is dangerously long nonhealing fractures).

Vitamin K enhances the strength of the vessel walls. This is especially important for those who are actively engaged in physical culture and sports - Vitamin K reduces the risk of blood loss in trauma, as well as enhances muscle contraction.

As part of the cell membranes, vitamin K is involved in the formation of the main sources of energy in our body, and normalizes motor function of the gastrointestinal tract and the muscles, helping prevent the formation of kidney stones. Vitamin K is often prescribed to prevent pregnancy - to prevent fetal death from bleeding.

Sometimes it happens that in our food get spoiled food. For example, as contained in rotten foods simply deadly poison coumarin acts on the liver.By the way, aflatoxin which cause cancer, have a chemical structure similar to the structure of the coumarin. So, it is vitamin K counteracts destructive effect of coumarin, aflatoxin and other toxins accumulating in the body. Recent studies have shown that vitamin K is needed to prevent cancer of the bladder, stomach, breast, colon and ovarian cancer.

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Deficiency of this vitamin - is extremely rare. Oddly, newborn children who are breastfeeding are at risk to get a deficiency of vitamin K. This can occur from the fact that breast milk does not contain sufficient amounts of this vitamin, and the intestinal flora of the child has not grown, to produce this vitamin in sufficient quantity. But, of course, that's no reason for not breastfeeding, so hospitals practice of vitamin K injections.

As for adults, a deficiency of vitamin K occurs only when the power sharply limited and monotonous, and in cases where the interaction with medications affect the absorption of vitamin C. For example, antibiotics that kill bacteria, affects the synthesis of vitamin K in intestine.Intestinal microflora may also inhibit the sulfa drugs. Deficiency of vitamin K may also occur due to a failure in absorption of bowel disease (chronic enteritis and enterocolitis, ulcerative colitis, diarrhea).

Hypo-and avitaminosis K can develop disorders of bile formation and secretion: cholelithiasis, infectious and toxic hepatitis, cirrhosis, tumors of the pancreas, biliary dyskinesia. This is because the absorption of vitamin K occurs with the participation of bile.

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In the formation of blood clots in the veins of the legs, lungs, heart or brain, if necessary, coronary artery bypass surgery, or if the patient has an artificial heart valve, the doctor prescribes a special drug that blocks the action of vitamin K, prevents the clotting of blood and allows blood to escape easily through the vessels. It should therefore be careful to take an artificially synthesized vitamin K: it increases the surplus of platelets and an increase in blood viscosity. That is, the use of synthetic vitamin K is not desirable for patients with varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, people with high cholesterol levels. By the way, the use of artificially synthesized vitamins and minerals in general should take place with mandatory supervision of a physician, or possible complications, such as vitamins A and E and calcium reduces the absorption of vitamin K, which can lead to secondary hypovitaminosis K.

But this will never happen if you use the "living" vitamin K, contained in food. Get adequate amounts of vitamin K is easy - you just need to have a daily greens and vegetables. And fresh, as this vitamin is destroyed by cooking and freezing.

Vitamin K is present in all green plants, and its content is more or less in proportion to their content of chlorophyll. The leaves goutweed, nettle, linden, birch, raspberries and rose hips a lot of vitamin K. The richest in this vitamin green leafy vegetables, and green tomatoes, rose hips, spinach leaves, oats, soybeans, wheat, rye, and pine needles. Vitamin K is found in soybean oil, liver (especially pork), eggs, walnuts, all kinds of cabbage (cabbage, cauliflowers, kohlrabi, broccoli). A lot of vitamin K in herbs: alfalfa, and shepherd's purse. They are rich in seaweed kelp and green tea. In the roots and fruits of vitamin K is much smaller.

And one more condition to the assimilation of vitamin K was carried out normally in the intestines should be a little fat. This is intuitively guessed peoples of the Mediterranean, so the classical Greek and Shopska salads containing fats in the form of cheese, olives and oils - perfect dishes in this sense. Strict vegetarians should think about that in their diet was not only enough food rich in vitamin K, and fats for its absorption.
Eat right and stay healthy!