Vitamin K is important for proper blood clotting and to prevent hemorrhaging, and it may also play an important role in bone health. It is found in found in foods such as broccoli, milk, spinach and olive oil. Certain bacteria in your large intestines produce it as well, and these bacteria usually supply you with enough vitamin K to prevent deficiency. Tom Brody says in "The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine" that low vitamin K levels are rare in healthy adults, and a deficiency is most often found in people with certain diseases.
Sterile Intestines in Newborns
According to Brody, newborns are the most prone to a deficiency in vitamin K. Newborns do not have the bacteria in their intestines to produce vitamin K, and breast milk only supplies 20 percent of their requirements. According to Colorado State University, insufficient vitamin K can lead to hemorrhaging and consequently death or premature brain damage in infants. To prevent this, most babies in North America are given a shot of vitamin K at birth.
Antibiotics and Candida
Elson Haas says in "Staying Healthy With Nutrition" that antibiotics can diminish the production of vitamin K in your large intestines because they kill the bacterial flora that normally produce it. Candida is characterized by a deficiency in healthy bacteria and an overgrowth of yeast in the body. Candida may therefore also cause low vitamin K levels because the increased yeast can reduce the healthy bacteria that are required to synthesize vitamin K.
Inability to Absorb Fat
Since vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, in order for you to properly assimilate it, you need to be able to properly absorb fats. Colorado State University says that liver diseases often result in decreased bile salt production. Because bile salts are needed to absorb fat, liver disease can result in a vitamin K deficiency. Brody adds that any disease that prevents the proper absorption of fat can result in low vitamin K stores, and this includes cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, and cholestasis.
Certain Medications
Certain medications may block or deplete vitamin K, says Brody. Colorado State says that blood-thinning drugs such as wafarin and dicumarol interfere with the recycling of vitamin K in your body, and this recycling is necessary to maintain adequate stores.
Other Possible Causes
An excess intake of vitamin E or calcium supplements can also reduce the absorption of vitamin K, says Haas. Additionally, in certain cases, pregnancy can result in a vitamin K deficiency, and it is sometimes given to women right before labor. Finally, Haas says that x-rays, the consumption of rancid oils and fats or too many processed sugary foods, radiation, aspirin and air pollution can all lead to low vitamin K.
References
- "Staying Healthy With Nutrition"; Elson Haas, M.D.; 2006
- "The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine"; K Deficiency; Tom Brody, PhD; 2006
- Colorado State University: Vitamin K
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