Home CareNotes Vitamin K In Foods This material must not be used for commercial purposes, or in any hospital or medical facility. Failure to comply may result in legal action.Vitamin K In Foods WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: What do I need to know about warfarin and vitamin K? Warfarin is a type of medicine called a blood thinner. It makes your blood clot more slowly. This can help prevent dangerous problems, such as a stroke (a blood clot in the brain). Vitamin K helps your blood to clot (thicken to stop bleeding). Warfarin works by making it harder for your body to use vitamin K to clot blood. Changes in the amount of vitamin K that you normally eat can affect how warfarin works. Your healthcare provider can tell how well warfarin is working from a blood test that you will have regularly. This test is called an international normalized ratio (INR). It shows how quickly your blood clots. To keep your INR at a healthy level, you need to manage how much vitamin K you eat.
How much vitamin K should I eat while I take warfarin? Eat the same amount of vitamin K each day. Do not change the amount of vitamin K you normally have from foods or supplements. This helps keep your INR at the same healthy level. A big increase in vitamin K can lower your INR. This can cause dangerous clotting in your blood. A big decrease in vitamin K can raise your INR. This can make it harder for your blood to clot. It can cause you to bleed too much. Do not avoid foods that contain vitamin K. Which foods have vitamin K? Dark green leafy vegetables have the highest amounts of vitamin K. Foods that contain vitamin K include the following: Foods with more than 100 mcg per serving: ½ cup of cooked kale (531 mcg) ½ cup of cooked spinach (444 mcg) ½ cup of cooked collard greens (418 mcg) 1 cup of cooked broccoli (220 mcg) 1 cup of cooked brussels sprouts (219 mcg) 1 cup of raw collard greens (184 mcg) 1 cup of raw spinach (145 mcg)
1 cup of raw endive (116 mcg) Foods with 50 to 100 mcg per serving: 1 cup of raw broccoli (89 mcg) ½ cup of cooked cabbage (82 mcg) 1 cup of green leaf lettuce (71 mcg) 1 cup of romaine lettuce (57 mcg) Foods with 15 to 50 mcg per serving: 4 spears of asparagus (48 mcg) 1 medium kiwi fruit (31 mcg) 1 cup of raw blackberries or blueberries (29 mcg) 1 cup of red or green grapes (23 mcg) ½ cup of cooked peas (19 mcg) What are other sources of vitamin K? Multivitamins and other supplements may contain 10 to 80 mcg of vitamin K. These amounts can cause changes in your INR. Read the labels of any supplements you take. Do not take more than 1 supplement that contains vitamin K. Talk to your healthcare provider about the supplements you are taking. When should I contact my healthcare provider? You have a poor appetite. You have an upset stomach. You have hair loss. You bruise more easily than normal.
All illustrations and images included in CareNotes® are the copyrighted property of A.D.A.M., Inc. or Truven Health Analytics. The above information is an educational aid only. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.Like what you’re reading? Get FREE updates sent to your inbox.Email* I want to improve my...I want to improve my...WeightEnergyDigestionBrainOverall HealthAll of the AboveI hate spam too. Your email is safe with me.Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate.The effectiveness ratings for VITAMIN K are as follows:Effective for...Preventing bleeding problems in newborns with low levels of vitamin K (hemorrhagic disease). Giving vitamin K1 by mouth or as an injection into the muscles can prevent bleeding problems in newborns.
Treating and preventing bleeding problems in people with low levels of the blood clotting protein prothrombin. Taking vitamin K1 by mouth or as an injection into the vein can prevent and treat bleeding problems in people with low levels of prothrombin due to using certain medications. An inherited bleeding disorder called vitamin K-dependent clotting factors deficiency (VKCFD). Taking vitamin K by mouth or injecting it intravenously (by IV) helps prevent bleeding in individuals with VKCFD. Reversing the effects of too much warfarin used to prevent blood clotting. Taking vitamin K1 by mouth or as in injection into the vein can counteract too much anticoagulation caused by warfarin. However, injecting vitamin K1 under the skin does not seem to be effective. Taking vitamin K along with warfarin also seems to help stabilize blood clotting time in people taking warfarin, especially those who have low vitamin K levels.Bleeding within the fluid-filled areas (ventricles) of the brain (intraventricular hemorrhage).
Giving vitamin K to women at risk for very preterm births might reduce the severity of intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm infants. However, it does not seem to prevent intraventricular hemorrhage nor the brain injuries associated with intraventricular hemorrhage.Insufficient evidence to rate effectiveness for...Population research suggests that higher dietary intake of vitamin K2 is linked with a lower risk of developing breast cancer.Population research suggests that higher dietary intake of vitamin K2 is linked with a lower risk of cancer-related death. However, it does not seem to be linked with a lower risk of developing cancer. Higher dietary intake of vitamin K1 does not seem to be linked with a lower risk of cancer or cancer-related death.Research suggests that higher dietary intake of vitamin K2 is associated with a lower risk of coronary calcification, which occurs when the inner lining of the coronary arteries develops a layer of plaque, as well as a lower risk of death caused by coronary heart disease.
Dietary vitamin K2 can be obtained from cheese, other milk products, and meat. Dietary intake of vitamin K1 does not seem to have an effect on heart disease risk. However supplementation with vitamin K1 seems to prevent or reduce the advancement of coronary calcification.People with cystic fibrosis can have low levels of vitamin K due to problems digesting fat. Taking a combination of vitamins A, D, E, and K seems to improve vitamin K levels in people with cystic fibrosis who have trouble digesting fat. Also, early research suggests that taking vitamin K by mouth for can enhance the production of osteocalcin, which plays a role in the body’s bone-building and metabolic regulation. However, there is no reliable evidence suggesting it improves overall health in people with cystic fibrosis.Early research suggests that taking a multivitamin fortified with vitamin K1 does not lower the risk of developing diabetes compared to taking a regular multivitamin.There is early evidence that vitamin K2 might lower cholesterol in people on dialysis with high cholesterol levels.