Platelets clotting, Platelet disorders, Causes of low blood platelets

Platelets are basically irregular shaped bodies that exist in the blood and are mostly colorless. They are sticky in nature and this allows them to bond with other surfaces, in order to form clots and hence try and stop the rate of bleeding. Therefore when a person gets wounded these platelets gather at the affected area and then block the flow of blood.


The mineral 'calcium', a lesser-known vitamin K and a protein called fibrinogen are helpful in the formation of clots. The clot basically forms when the blood is exposed to the air. The platelets are built to sense the exposure to air and immediately start to break apart. They then combine and react with fibrinogen and start to form something known as fibrin. These fibrins are like tiny threads that start to form a mesh of sorts and start to trap the blood cells within it. As the fibrin starts to dry they begin to harden and start to form a scab. Therefore the production of platelets is important to the body.

Sometimes there is a drop in the level of platelets in the body due to treatment undertaken for other disease, for example chemotherapy has been known to cause a drop in platelet levels. Increasing the amount of calcium and vitamin K that you father consumes can effectively remedy this. This can be taken in a supplement for or through the medium of fruits and vegetables. Almost all dairy products contain calcium as well as vegetables like spinach; sesame seeds, collard greens and kelp all contain spinach as well. Vitamin K can be derived from vegetables like Broccoli, spinach, and cabbage and from fruit like oranges, bananas, grapes and blue berries. Therefore having your father consume a diet that contains a good amount of green leafy vegetables, fresh fruit and some amount of seeds and dairy products (in moderation) will be beneficial to the development of more platelets.