Vitamin K
Vitamin K is actually a group of related compounds where the best sources are from leafy green vegetables. It is a fat soluble vitamin and therefore excess amounts can be stored in the body for later use.
How it helps
Vitamin K plays an important role in the complicated process of blood clotting, mostly related to the transportation of calcium within the body. When a blood vessel is damaged, vitamin K helps the blood to clot and plug the wound to prevent further bleeding. It is also needed for proper bone formation, again due to it role with calcium.
What happens if you don’t get enough?
Vitamin K deficiency can lead to poor blood clotting and therefore longer bleeding times. Symptoms include:
■ easy bruising
■ nosebleeds
■ bleeding gums
■ blood in the urine and stool
■ extremely heavy menstrual bleeding
In infants, a vitamin K deficiency may lead to bleeding inside the skull.
How much (dosage) should you take?
Males:
■ 19 years and older: 120 mcg per day
■ 14 to 18 years: 75 mcg per day
■ 9 to 13 years: 60 mcg per day
Females:
■ 19 years and older: 90 mcg per day
■ 14 to 18 years: 75 mcg per day
■ 9 to 13 years: 60 mcg per day
What happens if you take too much?
Eating more than the amount of dietary vitamin K needed does not increase blood clots in healthy people; however, large doses have the potential to cause side effects. Large doses of vitamin K supplements can be toxic to the liver, causing jaundice.
Can drugs interact with it?
People taking blood thinners should avoid vitamin K supplements and be careful of their dietary intake of vitamin K, because this vitamin reverses the effects of the blood thinner.
Drugs such as cholestyramine used to lower cholesterol may reduce the absorption of fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin K.
Sources of Vitamin K
Vitamins and Minerals: A Self-Hep Guide
This book provides a simple overview of the common vitamins and minerals available to help you supplement your diet when appropriate.
The information within this book is basic and does not claim to provide in any way comprehensive information of the subject matter but hopefully it can point you in the right direction when you need more information. All the information has come primarily from the government and authoritative bodies recommending daily intakes and pinpointing the limits of dosages per day. Experts in the field have tried to make the information easy to follow in this book.