Vitamins have taken front stage in the news recently as researchers suggest that building up our natural defence systems could help us avoid andlimit the complications of COVID-19. And a new review suggests that vitamin K should be on your radar.
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A revealing study
According to the Guardian, a Dutch study conducted by researchers and scientists has identified a link between a vitamin K deficiency and the appearance of the more severe forms of COVID-19.
To carry out this study, researchers studied 184 patients hospitalised for severe forms of the disease in a Dutch hospital, as well as another group of people who were not ill. They found that the patients admitted to intensive care, or who died, had a vitamin K deficiency.
The Guardian interviewed Dr Rob Janssen, who worked on the study. The researcher was quoted as saying:
My advice would be to take those vitamin K supplements. Even if it does not help against severe COVID-19, it is good for your blood vessels, bones and probably also for the lungs.
Another recent review funded by Kappa Bioscience AS and published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that vitamin K deficiency in coronavirus patients can lead to serious complications through the increased risk of thrombosis, otherwise known as blood clots. Vitamin K plays a crucial role in the activation of protein S, which is important for preventing thrombosis. This very same protein is vulnerable to coronavirus, leaving patients at risk of clotting in areas such as the lungs.
Could this vitamin be a means of combating COVID-19? More research needs to be done in order to draw any strong conclusions. However, it is still recommended we all get our daily dose of vitamin K in order to keep our lungs and our liver healthy.
How can we get our daily dose of vitamin K?
Recommendations are that a vitamin K deficiency should be avoided in order not to develop severe forms of COVID-19 related complications, but where can we find this vitamin?
Vitamin K is divided into two molecules: K1 which is found in many foods and certain vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, other green vegetables, asparagus, and leeks, and also K2, which is found in Dutch and French cheeses, veal, beef, and pork liver, and also in chicken. Vitamin K can even be found in egg yolk, fermented milk, and olive oil.
