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Vitamin K helps regulate and support blood clotting in the body. If unfortunately deficient, the blood clotting function will be affected leading to the risk of bleeding and possibly death. Therefore, supplementing with vitamin K in the right way and in sufficient doses is extremely necessary.
1. Overview of vitamin K
1.1. The important role of vitamin K Vitamin K plays an important role in the blood clotting process of the body. Timely vitamin K supplementation can help infants reduce the risk of brain hemorrhage, bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency in the first months of life.
In addition to preventing hemophilia, vitamin K also has a number of other effects such as:
Activate Osteocalcin to help prevent osteoporosis and improve bone density, as a glue to help strengthen bones; Supports cancer prevention and promotes heart health. 1.2. How many types of vitamin K are there? Vitamin K is divided into 2 types with many differences:
Vitamin K1 is of plant origin; Vitamin K2 is of bacterial origin. Experts all encourage people to increase vitamins K1 and K2 to be good for the body. There is also vitamin K3, which is an artificial form of vitamin synthesized from the above two types, which should be used when prescribed by a doctor.
1.3. Why do parents need vitamin K supplements for their children? For infants, the amount of vitamin K stored in the child's body is quite low. Besides, the content of vitamin K in breast milk is not much, so babies are very susceptible to vitamin K deficiency and encounter the following problems:
Vitamin K1 deficiency: the baby's body is easy to bruise or bleed (from the nose, mouth, navel) in the first 24 hours after birth; Vitamin K2 deficiency: babies are prone to bleeding in the first week after birth; Vitamin K3 deficiency: bleeding when the baby is 2-12 weeks old. Although rare, it is the most dangerous because of the high mortality rate (usually due to cerebral hemorrhage).
Bổ sung vitamin K đúng cách, đủ liều lượng rất cần thiết.
2. How to properly supplement vitamin K? Although vitamin K is an important vitamin for the body, not every intake is better. In addition to the natural way of supplementing through daily food, you can inject or take more vitamin K.
Depending on age and gender, vitamin K needs to be supplemented in different doses, specifically:
Children from 0 to 6 months of life: need 2 mcg/day; Children from 1 to 4 years old: need 30 mcg/day; Children from 7 to 12 months: need 2.5 mcg/day; Children from 9 to 13 years old: need 60 mcg/day; Men > 19 years old: need 120 mcg/day; Females > 19 years old: need 90 mcg/day; Pregnant women: need 90 mcg/day; Women who are breastfeeding: need 90 mcg/day. 2.1. Ways to give vitamin K to babies Pediatricians recommend giving infants vitamin K by injection as the best way to help babies get enough vitamin K. Babies who weren't given vitamin K at birth were 81 times more likely to bleed than those who had been vaccinated.
According to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, newborn babies need to be provided with vitamin K right after birth in one of two ways:
Inject (intramuscular) 1 dose of vitamin K1 (1mg) or vitamin K3 (2mg); Take vitamin K1 (2mg) according to the 3-dose regimen. Dose 1: after birth, dose 2: 7 days old and dose 3: 1 month old. According to pediatric experts around the world, if infants are given vitamin K properly and at the right dose, the rate of cerebral hemorrhage is only 0.25/100,000 live births. Therefore, newborn babies need to be vaccinated against vitamin K deficiency as recommended.
2.2. How to supplement vitamin K for adults For adults, the most effective vitamin K supplement is through their daily diet. Some of the most vitamin K-rich foods include: spinach, basil, kale, broccoli, soybean oil, green beans, strawberries, liver, kidneys, egg yolks, whole milk..
Note, when supplementing vitamin K with food, to increase absorption you should consume vitamin K with fat. In addition, adults can also use vitamin K supplements as prescribed and guided by a doctor.
Overall, vitamin K is important in supporting normal blood clotting. Whether they are infants or adults, they should pay attention and learn enough information about this mineral to actively supplement it. Hopefully this article has given you the information you need about the best vitamin K supplements for children and adults.
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