Food labels may list daily values, or DVs, for a variety of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and dictate how much of each you should consume on a daily basis. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps your blood to clot. There are a variety of daily values for vitamin K, depending on your age, sex and if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Pediatric Values
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the daily value for vitamin K for infants from birth to 6 months of age is 2 mcg. From 7 to 12 months of age children need 2.5 mcg, and those 1 to 3 years old require 30 mcg. The daily value for children who are 4 to 8 years old is 55 mcg, and 60 mcg for those who are 9 to 13 years old. Teens 14 to 18 years of age need 75 mcg.
Adult Values
Men aged 19 and older need 120 mcg, while women of the same age need only about 90 mcg. If you are a pregnant or breastfeeding woman between the ages of 14 and 18, you need about 75 mcg, while if you are 19 years or older, you require 90 mcg.
Food Sources
Foods that contain vitamin K include many vegetables and leafy greens. Just 1 cup of cooked broccoli provides 220 mcg of vitamin K, while 1 cup of raw kale has a huge 546 mcg. You can get 145 mcg of vitamin K from 1 cup of raw spinach, and 125 mcg from 2 cups of green leaf lettuce. According to MedlinePlus other food sources include cabbage, cauliflower and soybeans. The bacteria in your intestines also make vitamin K.
Considerations
Vitamin K supplements can interact with a variety of medications, so it is important to discuss increasing your vitamin K intake with your doctor. Vitamin K reacts with cephalosporins, a class of antibiotics, reducing your body's absorption of vitamin K. Vitamin K may also reduce the efficacy of warfarin, a blood thinning medication. Vitamin K may also interact with Dilantin, Orlistat, Olestra and bile acid sequestrants.
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