Vitamin K – Consumer

A woman discussing supplements with a pharmacist.

This is a reader-pleasant overview of Vitamin K. For additional particulars, see our wellbeing expert simple fact sheet on Vitamin K.

What is vitamin K and what does it do?

Vitamin K is a nutrient that the body demands to remain nutritious. It’s significant for blood clotting and nutritious bones and also has other functions in the body. If you are having a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin®), it can be quite significant to get about the same sum of vitamin K every working day.

How a great deal vitamin K do I will need?

The sum of vitamin K you will need depends on your age and sexual intercourse. Average each day encouraged quantities are listed below in micrograms (mcg).

Everyday living Phase Advised Total
Beginning to 6 months two. mcg
7–12 months two.five mcg
1–3 several years 30 mcg
4–8 several years fifty five mcg
9–13 several years sixty mcg
14–18 several years 75 mcg
Grownup adult men 19 several years and older one hundred twenty mcg
Grownup women 19 several years and older ninety mcg
Pregnant or breastfeeding teens 75 mcg
Pregnant or breastfeeding women ninety mcg

 

What meals supply vitamin K?

Vitamin K is uncovered naturally in lots of meals. You can get encouraged quantities of vitamin K by taking in a wide range of meals, together with the next:

  • Green leafy veggies, such as spinach, kale, broccoli, and lettuce
  • Vegetable oils
  • Some fruits, such as blueberries and figs
  • Meat, cheese, eggs, and soybeans

You can discover links to additional food sources of vitamin K in the final area of this simple fact sheet, Where can I discover out additional about Vitamin K?

What kinds of vitamin K nutritional nutritional supplements are accessible?

Vitamin K is uncovered in multivitamin/multimineral nutritional supplements. Vitamin K is also accessible in nutritional supplements of vitamin K alone or of vitamin K with a few other nutrition such as calcium, magnesium, and/or vitamin D. Frequent forms of vitamin K in nutritional nutritional supplements are phylloquinone and phytonadione (also named vitamin K1), menaquinone-4, and menaquinone-7 (also named vitamin K2).

Am I acquiring plenty of vitamin K?

Vitamin K deficiency is quite rare. Most people in the United States get plenty of vitamin K from the meals they consume. Also, microorganisms in the colon make some vitamin K that the body can soak up. However, certain groups of people could have difficulties acquiring plenty of vitamin K:

  • Newborns who really do not acquire an injection of vitamin K at delivery
  • People today with problems (such as cystic fibrosis, celiac condition, ulcerative colitis, and short bowel syndrome) that reduce the sum of vitamin K their body absorbs
  • People today who have had bariatric (weight loss) surgical procedures

What takes place if I never get plenty of vitamin K?

Serious vitamin K deficiency can lead to bruising and bleeding complications due to the fact the blood will consider extended to clot. Vitamin K deficiency may cut down bone energy and maximize the chance of acquiring osteoporosis due to the fact the body demands vitamin K for nutritious bones.

What are some effects of vitamin K on wellbeing?

Scientists are researching vitamin K to recognize how it influences our wellbeing. Below are some examples of what this investigation has shown.

Osteoporosis

Vitamin K is significant for nutritious bones. Some investigation reveals that people who consume additional vitamin K-loaded meals have more robust bones and are much less probable to break a hip than these who consume much less of these meals. A few reports have uncovered that having vitamin K nutritional supplements increases bone energy and the prospects of breaking a bone, but other reports have not. Additional investigation is necessary to far better recognize if vitamin K nutritional supplements can enable make improvements to bone wellbeing and cut down osteoporosis chance.

Coronary coronary heart condition

Scientists are researching whether or not minimal blood degrees of vitamin K maximize the chance of coronary coronary heart condition, most likely by making blood vessels that feed the coronary heart stiffer and narrower. Additional investigation is necessary to recognize whether or not vitamin K nutritional supplements may enable stop coronary heart condition.

Can vitamin K be hazardous?

Vitamin K has not been shown to lead to any harm. However, it can interact with some medications, significantly warfarin (Coumadin®)—see the information below.

Does vitamin K interact with medications or other nutritional nutritional supplements?

Certainly, some medications could interact with vitamin K. Below are a few examples:

Warfarin (Coumadin®)

Vitamin K can have a critical interaction with the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin®). If you consider warfarin, make sure that the sum of vitamin K you consume from food and nutritional supplements is about the same each working day. A sudden modify in the sum of vitamin K you get can lead to hazardous bleeding (if you consume much less) or blood clots (if you consume additional).

Antibiotics

Antibiotics can demolish the good microorganisms in your gut. Some of these microorganisms make vitamin K. Utilizing antibiotics for additional than a few months could cut down the sum of vitamin K built in your gut and therefore, the sum accessible for your body to use.

Bile acid sequestrants

Some people consider bile acid sequestrants (such as cholestyramine [Questran®] and colestipol [Colestid®]) to reduced blood cholesterol degrees. These medications can cut down the sum of vitamin K your body absorbs, primarily if you consider them for lots of several years.

Orlistat

Orlistat (Alli® and Xenical®) is a weight-loss drug. It lowers the sum of excess fat your body absorbs and can reduce the absorption of vitamin K.

Explain to your medical doctor, pharmacist, and other healthcare companies about any nutritional nutritional supplements and prescription or over-the-counter medicines you consider. They can notify you if the nutritional nutritional supplements may interact with your medicines or if the medicines may interfere with how your body absorbs, works by using, or breaks down nutrition such as vitamin K.

Vitamin K and healthful taking in

People today need to get most of their nutrition from food and beverages, in accordance to the federal government’s Dietary Suggestions for Americans. Meals contain nutritional vitamins, minerals, nutritional fiber, and other elements that advantage wellbeing. In some scenarios, fortified meals and nutritional nutritional supplements are practical when it is not doable to fulfill demands for one or additional nutrition (e.g., for the duration of particular everyday living levels such as pregnancy). For additional information about setting up a nutritious nutritional pattern, see the Dietary Suggestions for Americansexternal link disclaimer and the U.S. Section of Agriculture’s MyPlate.external link disclaimer

Where can I discover out additional about Vitamin K?

  • For standard information on vitamin K:
  • For additional information on food sources of vitamin K:
    • Business of Dietary Dietary supplements Wellbeing Qualified Reality Sheet on Vitamin K
    • U.S. Section of Agriculture’s (USDA) FoodData Centralexternal link disclaimer
    • USDA Nutrient Lists for vitamin K as either:
      • Phylloquinone, the kind of vitamin K uncovered in environmentally friendly leafy veggies, listed by food or by content, or
      • Menaquinone, a kind of vitamin K uncovered in fermented meals and meals that occur from animals, listed by food or by content
  • For additional information on deciding on nutritional nutritional supplements:
  • For information about setting up a nutritious nutritional pattern:

Disclaimer

This simple fact sheet by the Business of Dietary Dietary supplements (ODS) offers information that need to not consider the place of healthcare information. We persuade you to converse to your healthcare companies (medical doctor, registered dietitian, pharmacist, and so on.) about your desire in, questions about, or use of nutritional nutritional supplements and what could be greatest for your general wellbeing. Any point out in this publication of a particular product or company, or suggestion from an business or expert culture, does not characterize an endorsement by ODS of that product, company, or professional information.

Up-to-date: March 22, 2021 Heritage of improvements to this simple fact sheet