Vitamin K was first discovered in 1929 by Henrik Dam who was studying the role of cholesterol by depriving chickens of cholesterol in their diet. He subsequently observed a particular vitamin extract from these chickens in relation to blood coagulation. The actual K from Vitamin K comes from the German name, Koagulationsvitamin (in English: Coagulation Vitamin). Subsequently, both Henrik Dam and Edward Doisy were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1943 for their important roles of discovering Vitamin K and its structure. Since then, over 15,000 research articles have been published, by countless scientists around the world, concerning the great health benefits and essential functions of Vitamin K.