09/08/2025
🥬 DISCOVERY : Vitamin K – The Clotting Key 🩸🔑
In the 1920s, a strange problem appeared in lab animals:
Even the smallest cuts caused excessive bleeding—and sometimes death.
Scientists were baffled. The diet seemed fine… except for one thing: it lacked fat.
That’s when a Danish biochemist named Henrik Dam discovered a new nutrient that helped blood clot properly.
He called it Vitamin K — from the German word “Koagulation.”
🧬 HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED
Henrik Dam was studying cholesterol in chicks.
When he removed fats from their diet, the chicks developed internal bleeding and couldn't stop it.
Adding back the known vitamins (like A or D) didn’t help.
Eventually, he realized a new, unknown compound in green leafy vegetables was the missing link—it allowed the blood to clot.
It was named Vitamin K and officially recognized in 1929.
Later, Edward Doisy isolated its structure.
💡 Both men won the Nobel Prize in 1943 for this life-saving discovery!
🩸 WHY YOU NEED VITAMIN K
This underrated vitamin is essential for:
🔸 Blood clotting – preventing excessive bleeding
🔸 Bone metabolism – supports bone strength
🔸 Heart health – may help prevent calcium buildup in arteries
There are two main types:
✅ K1 (phylloquinone) – found in leafy greens
✅ K2 (menaquinone) – found in fermented foods and animal products
⚠️ DEFICIENCY RISKS
🩸 Easy bruising
🩸 Excessive bleeding from cuts
🩸 Slow wound healing
🩸 In severe cases, internal bleeding
👶 Newborns are especially at risk, which is why they’re given a Vitamin K injection at birth.
🥦 WHERE TO FIND IT
🥬 Leafy greens (kale, spinach, broccoli, cabbage)
🧀 Fermented foods (natto, certain cheeses)
🥩 Liver, egg yolks, and meats (especially for K2)
✅ It’s fat-soluble—so pair with healthy fats like olive oil or avocado for better absorption!
Vitamin K might not get the spotlight, but without it, a paper cut could be dangerous.
Tiny vitamin. Massive impact.
