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~ Marcus Martial ~


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~ James Baldwin ~


           

The selected Health Tip is summarized below.  An audio clip of the tip as presented
 by Dr. Leah on the Chat With Women radio show is available at the end of the tip.


Vitamin K - an important...yet often overlooked...essential vitamin?

Do you have easy bruising, frequent nose bleeds, bleeding gums, heavy menstrual periods, or presence of blood in urine or stool?

These could all be the symptoms of Vitamin K deficiency. Vitamin K is a cofactor in a number of biochemical pathways. One of these pathways is essential for the production of clotting factors in the blood. Low Vitamin K will therefore cause more bleeding problems.

Vitamin K is also important in the production of bone. Women who have had osteoporosis or osteopenia and have taken Vitamin K have shown an increase in bone density. Vitamin K is a very important factor is building up bones so every woman should be taking it if they have bone density problems.

Vitamin K has also been shown to have anticancer effects. It seems to inhibit cancer cell growth.

Vitamin K is found in dark green leafy vegetables but is mostly supplemented in vitamin pills when needed in higher doses.

There are certain instances in which Vitamin K needs to be used with caution. If you are taking some blood thinning medications you need to be careful with Vitamin K supplementation. Vitamin K is contraindicated when taking Warfarin (Coumadin).

Typical dosages of Vitamin K vary with the need of the individual. For Osteoporosis a typical dose is about 45 mg a day. A preventative dose of 2-5 mg a day is sufficient to keep bones healthy in an individual without osteoporosis. 

 
 

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