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Blood clots: The two vitamin shortages linked to varicose veins and blood clotting risks

Varicose veins are bulged blood vessels that run beneath the surface of the epidermis. It is estimated that about half of all women and a quarter of men develop some degree of varicose veins as they grow older, but the condition isn't solely indicative of old age. Two vitamin deficiencies may be hinting at underlying issues relating to veins.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K helps to make various proteins that are needed for blood clotting and the build of bones, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

A deficit of the nutrient can therefore result in a shortfall of the appropriate proteins to prevent excessive bleeding, which poses substantial health risks.

This is why the main warning signs of a deficiency include bleeding, which may be visible or invisible to the eye.

Symptoms of a deficiency generally include bruising, excessive bleeding from wound punctures and injection.

According to the British Medical Journal: "Lack of vitamin K2 makes bones long and thin so increasing height through generations is due to poor nutrition and not improving nutrition.

"Low levels of vitamin K2 result in calcification of elastin, the cause of double chins, piles and varicose veins."

Varicose veins should not be confused with spider veins, which can reflect abnormally high pressure in larger veins, according to the

Vein health Clinics' website.

But by helping rebuild the vascular wall, vitamin K may help treat both conditions.

This is why the nutrient, abundant in green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach and Swiss chard, is widely used as a topical treatment.

However, Neal Reynolds, MD, Founder of the Vein Clinic in South Carolina, told the health platform Prevention: "We have no evidence that vitamin K improves vein health."

Vitamin D

The second culprit implicated in the development of varicose veins is a deficit of vitamin D.

The Vein Clinics website explains: "When vitamin D levels are low, your veins will struggle to do their job correctly, and veins issues may arise.

"Vitamin D helps to keep your arteries and blood vessels loose enough and relaxed enough to support proper blood flow."

When the body suffers a shortfall of vitamin D, the blood vessels are likely to suffer, which can manifest in a number of ways.

The condition has wide-reaching implications for health, but unfortunately, symptoms of a deficiency can hard to spot due to their ill-defined nature.

Signs include depression, slow wound healing, increased fracture incidence and pain in the bones and joints.

"A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults," notes the NHS.

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Low levels of the nutrient have also been implicated in the risk of low-extremity deep vein thrombosis, the medical term given to a blood clot that has formed inside the vein.

The formation of the low usually occurs deep inside the veins in the lower leg, thigh or pelvis, and can become deadly if it travels to the lungs.

The authors of a medical report published in the International Journal of General Medicine, wrote; "A decrease in [Vitamin D] concentration has [...] been associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism."

Food sources of the nutrient include oily fish, red meat, liver, egg yolks, and fortified foods, such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals, adds the NHS.