Although mainly known for its prominent role in blood clotting, Vitamin K holds many other major benefits that unfortunately are often overlooked. From tooth, to bones, to heart, lungs and liver, consuming enough Vitamin K plays a role in keeping all of them working optimally. Moreover, when you have a smoothly running body, you are bound to reach your weight loss goal faster.
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Here are five ways the mighty Vitamin K keeps your body strong, healthy and beautiful:
- Protects the integrity of your bones: Vitamin K, specifically menaquinone (Vitamin K2), helps thwart osteoporosis by increasing your bone density. It prevents bone loss and even increases bone mass. Vitamin K2 facilitates the attachment of calcium into our bones, which makes them stronger.
- Shields against cancer: Phylloquinone, menaquinone, or Vitamin K1 and 2, hinder the proliferation and growth of cancerous cells. They have been also shown to be effective in treating leukemia. Research has shown that men with the most amount of Vitamin K are 50 percent less susceptible to prostate cancer. Other than that, this vitamin helps prevent oral, colon, stomach and nasopharynx cancer as well.
- Heart protector: Vitamin K can do wonders for your heart health. By preventing the arteries from hardening, Vitamin K2 shields you from coronary artery and other forms of arterial diseases. It also prevents calcium from causing damage to our arterial linings. Working together with Vitamin D, Vitamin K2 inhibits arterial calcification, which can otherwise put you at risk for many heart diseases.
- Nourishes our nervous system: Vitamin K is important for the production of an important cell signaling compound called sphingolipids. It is found in all of our brain cells. There are several Vitamin K dependent proteins, such as Gas 6 and protein S, which plays a crucial role in both our CNS and PNS. A lack of Vitamin K can affect both our behavior and cognition. They are indirectly also responsible for the growth and survival of different types of nerve cells.
- Prevents post-menopausal weight gain: Studies show that Vitamin K activates Osteocalcin, which is a protein that is important for the building of healthy bones. Along with that, once this protein gets released from our bones and enters our blood, it acts as a hormone to stabilize our blood sugar. Among post-menopausal women, low amount of estrogen hinders the production of Osteocalcin, which is one of the main causes for weight gain. Keeping your Vitamin K level up stimulates weight loss, especially in the form of abdominal fat.
What foods contain the most Vitamin K? Some of the most powerful natural sources of Vitamin K includes fermented foods, egg, Miso, lamb and organ meat. Vegetable sources include spinach, Brussel sprouts, Swiss chard, green beans, asparagus, broccoli, green peas, carrots, watercress and endives.
Whether you are someone with a heart condition, liver disease, have osteoporosis, cholesterol, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, or just want to lose weight, please work towards increasing your consumption of this very important Vitamin.
Lastly, don't forget that just adding Vitamin K won't result in weight loss. To see a massive difference, you need to eat a completely clean diet and engage in a rigorous workout plan. Doing both of these is guaranteed to bring you the result you want.
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