Surprising Benefits of Vitamin K for Hair & Nails
Vitamin K Benefits
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Functions of vitamin K
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Sources of Vitamin K
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Benefits Of Vitamin K for Hair & Nails
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Symptoms of vitamin K deficiency
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Take Away
Vitamin C, B, and E are well known for their health and other benefits and Vitamin K is not so popular. But Vitamin K also helps in maintaining the health of the bones and body and also helps in maintaining better skin, hair, and nails as well. There are several benefits of having vitamin K both for the hair and the nails as well.
Functions of vitamin K
What role does vitamin K play in the human body?
Vitamin K basically has three main functions – supporting blood clotting, bone and heart health.
Blood clotting
Vitamin K is needed to activate various proteins that are crucial for blood-clotting, for example from a wound.
Bone health
Vitamin K is also essential to metabolise calcium for the normal development of bone. Vitamin K2 activates proteins that help take calcium from the blood, into the bones.
Healthy heart
Vitamin K is also vital for our hearts. One of the proteins activated by vitamin K2 is matrix GLA protein, which limits the quantity of calcium laid down on the walls of blood vessels, including the coronary artery.
Sources of Vitamin K
Spinach
Rich source of iron, spinach is also a good source of vitamins A, C and K. It is optimal for bone health, this green leafy vegetable also ensures the functioning of red blood cells properly in the body. Essential vitamins and minerals can sometimes be lost during the cooking process, therefore it is suggested to eat spinach in raw form.
Broccoli
Packed with multiple vitamins and antioxidants, broccoli can shield you from many health problems when consumed regularly. It destroys free radicals and strengthens your immunity to maintain good health. Adding this vitamin K-rich food to your diet is pretty easy too, you can blanch or stir fry it and eat it either as part of your salad or as a side dish. But be very careful with broccoli, make sure you don’t overcook it or it will lose its multiple nutrition and flavour.
Kale
Kale is probably a very nutritious green leafy vegetable. Apart from being rich in fibre, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids, kale also provides 50% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin K. While kale is not widely used in Indian cuisine, you can surely add it to salads, smoothies or look for healthy and easy ways to incorporate this nutritious vegetable into your diet. Kale is really a powerhouse of various nutrients and minerals.
Lettuce
A salad staple, lettuce is a rich source of protein, vitamins A, K and potassium. This wonderful leafy vegetable can be consumed in so many distinct ways. On days when you can’t get your hands on one of the high sources of vitamin K, you could do that with a few fresh leaves of lettuce.
Eggs
Eggs can be eaten for any meal of the day and are very easy to make. You can consume them boiled, or make any dish out of them. This protein-rich food is also packed with the very essential vitamin K. This vitamin K-rich food can be consumed in so many distinct ways. If eggs aren’t already a part of your daily diet plan, then it's the right time you make them, because they offer so many benefits than just providing you with protein.
Benefits Of Vitamin K for Hair & Nails
There are plenty of benefits associated with vitamin K from calming rosacea, fixing under-eye dark circles to increasing the production of collagen. Vitamin K has topped the list of the best vitamins and is climbing in the ranks among other vitamins. Well, there are a lot of benefits of vitamin K for both Hair and nails as well. Let us have a look at what benefit vitamin K provide for your nails and hair.
For Hair
For the coagulation of blood in our body, Vitamin K is one of such vital nutrients that we need. Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone), vitamin K2 (menaquinone), and vitamin K3 (menadione) are the three main kinds of Vitamin K. Vitamin K1 being quite a powerful vitamin it has a potential disease-preventing quality.
- It helps well in the hair regrowth
- Helps in the regeneration of the hair
- Prevents hair loss
- It also reverses hair loss naturally
For Nails
Vitamin K also helps well in maintaining the strength and beauty of the nails. If you are exhausted with brittle and weak nails the best vitamin to opt for is Vitamin K. Vitamin K helps well in:
- Improving the growth of the nails
- Improving the nail strength
- Shine enhancement of the nails
Symptoms of vitamin K deficiency
Some of the very common symptoms of vitamin K deficiency are:
- Longer time for the blood clot
- Bleeding
- Haemorrhaging
- Osteopenia or osteoporosis
Take Away
Vitamin K is the best vitamin you can opt for as it helps in having strong, long, and shiny hair and nails as well. You can add vitamin K by including the Vitamin K-rich foods in your diet, and also you can opt for the supplements if the deficiency is not fulfilled by the food. Along with the hair and nail benefits, vitamin K is also very beneficial for maintaining overall health, it helps in maintaining healthy bones and managing heart issues as well.