What’s Vitamin K1？

The chemical name of vitamin K1 is phylloquinone, which is a fat-soluble vitamin. Its chemical structure includes a naphthoquinone ring and a phytol side chain. This structural feature determines its fat solubility, allowing it to dissolve in a fat environment and be absorbed by the human body. Given the importance of vitamin K1 in human health, some food manufacturers add vitamin K1 to food as a nutritional enhancer.

Vitamin K1 is a fat-soluble vitamin with the following important properties:

Promote blood clotting: Vitamin K1 is essential for the synthesis of coagulation factors II, VII, IX and X. These coagulation factors play a key role in the blood clotting process. These coagulation factors play a key role in the process of blood coagulation. Vitamin K1 promotes blood coagulation and prevents bleeding by participating in the carboxylation process of the coagulation factors and making them active. When Vitamin K1 is deficient, the synthesis of coagulation factors will be affected, resulting in prolonged clotting time and easy bleeding tendency, such as skin ecchymosis, nosebleed, gum bleeding, etc.

Involved in bone metabolism: Vitamin K1 also plays an important role in bone metabolism. It can regulate the synthesis and carboxylation of osteocalcin, a protein secreted by osteoblasts, which plays an important role in bone mineralisation and maintenance of bone mass. Adequate vitamin K1 helps to increase bone density and reduce the risk of fractures.

Maintains cardiovascular health: Vitamin K1 may protect the cardiovascular system by inhibiting vascular calcification. Vascular calcification is an important pathological feature of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin K1 prevents the deposition of calcium ions in the blood vessel wall and reduces the occurrence of vascular calcification, thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Other roles: Vitamin K1 may also play a role in maintaining normal liver function and participating in cell metabolism. In addition, in special populations such as newborns, vitamin K1 supplementation may prevent vitamin K deficiency haemorrhage and protect the health of newborns.