Vitamin K (Quinone) and Vitamin E (Tocopherols)

00:00 Vitamin K.

00:02 So we want N-A-K.

00:05 K is quinone.

00:08 It has a number of different names also.

00:11 But most commonly in this form.

00:13 And I really like to hearten the vitamin K.

00:17 I could probably go on for a long time about it.

00:19 Because it is produced by our gut flora.

00:22 And I have learned a lot of different links as a neurobiologist between gut flora and brain connections and so on and so forth.

00:32 So I think the gut flora are particularly important.

00:35 We can consume vitamin K but also we rely on our bacterial inhabitance to produce the majority of our vitamin K.

00:48 And vitamin K is in involved in clotting.

00:51 You are probably familiar with that.

00:53 In fact it's involved in multiple steps along the pathway for blood clotting.

00:58 As with other blood soluble, I mean, other fat soluble vitamins, vitamin K really depends on adequate liver and pancreatic secretions in order to access the vitamin itself.

01:15 So let's look at some of the issues with deficiency.

01:20 Again the primary one that we'll consider is the clotting factors.

01:27 You can see clearly that it is involved in multiple steps along the pathway for clotting including factor 2, factor 7, factor 9, 10.

01:39 All of these require vitamin K as a cofactor.

01:44 Now one drug I want to bring up that you probably are aware of that is involved in blood thinning.

01:51 So it has actions opposite of vitamin K is coumadin.

01:57 Sold under the name of warfarin and others.

01:59 But coumadin is acting to thin the blood while vitamin K is acting to keep it more viscous.

02:08 And so when we have someone on warfarin, coumadin, we need to supplement with vitamin K to ensure that they are not too low in vitamin K and have some hemorrhaging issues.

02:23 So that's something to keep your eye on with vitamin K.

02:26 So now we have a K and onto E.

02:31 E is a phenomenal antioxidant.

02:35 It's synthesized only in plants and stored in their fats.

02:39 So it's in high concentration in foods like avocados.

02:42 Vitamin E is involved in fatty acid oxidation as well as some stages in cell respiration.

02:52 And the key there is that vitamin E can donate electrons.

02:56 And so you can clearly understand how it would have a role in cellular respiration.

03:01 Not only does it have a role in cellular respiration but it can also have, combine with reactive oxygen species.

03:11 So this is where it becomes an antioxidant.

03:15 Involved in this vitamin C cycle.

03:18 You can -- I mean vitamin E cycle we can see that there is alpha-tocopherol that can come along and meet up with reactive oxygen species and take the electrons away.

03:28 And it will become reduced as a tocopherol radical and take care of removing the electrons from the scene.

03:38 And thus we see the antioxidant effects.

03:43 So vitamin E is a key in any cells that have a lot of exposure to oxygen radicals.

03:53 And naturally or oxygen in general, naturally red blood cells carrying oxygen are going to be exposed to a lot of potential for free radicals.

04:05 So we see vitamin E being very important there in prolonging the life of the red blood cells by removing free radicals.

04:16 So one of the roles is, it's antioxidant roles.

04:20 So vitamin E excess can interfere with vitamin K also.

04:28 So that's going to have an impact on clotting and also the other effects that we see with red blood cells emphasis.

04:37 But a deficiency can lead to premature destruction of the red blood cells.

04:44 Because we are not removing the free radicals in the way that might be most favorable.

04:51 And so they decline and are removed by the immune system.

04:55 So the oxidative damage to the red blood cells leads to their destruction.

05:01 And thus we may have a shortage of red blood cells.

05:04 And you can probably guess symptoms that are like that of anemia.