Vitamin K

Vitamin K is the anti-hemorrhagic vitamin required for the synthesis of the thirteen cofactors required for the normal coagulation of blood. It is also required for the production of proteins found in plasma, bone, and the kidneys.
Natural Vitamin K found in green plants is fat soluble and requires bile and pancreatic juice for absorption in the small intestine. Small amounts of Vitamin K can also be synthesized by various microflora in the small and large intestine.
Menadione is the synthetic version of Vitamin K. Menadione is water soluble and is converted to Vitamin K in the body. Vitamin K is usually stable during cooking but is not under sunlight
Functions of Vitamin K:
• Required for activity of carboxylases in hepatic synthesis of prothrombin
• May aid in inhibiting bone resorption substances such as prostaglandin E2 and interleukin-6
• May have some antioxidant activity. Vitamin K-hydroquinone is a potent reactive oxygen species scavenger capable of inhibiting lipid peroxidation
• Synthetic vitamin K (Menadione) has been shown to have anti-tumor activity
• Required for the synthesis of osteocalcin that promotes mineral deposition in bone