Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting. Your body also uses vitamin K for cell growth and for incorporating minerals to increase your bone strength. Because vitamin K is fat soluble, your body stores some vitamin K in your fat cells, making deficiency less common. However, it is possible to get too little vitamin K through your diet.
Symptoms of Deficiency
Vitamin K deficiency causes you to bruise and bleed more easily. Women may have heavier than usual menstrual periods, and you may have nosebleeds, blood in your stool or urine and bleeding gums due to this type of deficiency. In severe cases, you may hemorrhage. Infants may experience bleeding in the skull, which can be life threatening.
Recommended Intake
Infants are often given a shot of vitamin K right after they are born. Infants up to 6 months old should consume 2 mcg per day and infants between 7 and 12 months old should consume 2.5 mcg per day. The adequate intake levels are 30 mcg per day for children 1 to 3 years old, 55 mcg per day between 4 and 8, 60 mcg per day between 9 and 13 and 75 mcg per day between 14 and 18. Women should consume 90 mcg per day and men, 120 mcg per day.
Sources
Bacteria in your intestines make some of the vitamin K that you need. Many foods also contain vitamin K, including dark green leafy vegetables, cauliflower, cabbage, soybeans, cereals, green tea, asparagus, broccoli, beef liver, canola oil, soybean oil, olive oil and cottonseed oil. Although heat doesn't destroy vitamin K, freezing does. Hydrogenation of oils also minimizes their vitamin K content.
Considerations
If you take warfarin you should speak to your doctor about your vitamin K intake, since this vitamin may affect how much warfarin you need to take. Liver disease, serious burns, malabsorption conditions, long-term antibiotic treatment and hemodialysis all increase your risk for vitamin K deficiency. Taking orlistat, bile acid sequestrants or phenytoin can also interfere with vitamin K absorption.
Member Comments