Although your body gets some vitamin K from bacteria in your intestines, you also need to get some from your diet or supplements. You need enough vitamin K for healthy blood clotting and bones, but talk to your doctor if you are considering a vitamin K supplement because of the potential for interaction with some medications.
Background
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that has natural forms as vitamin K-1, or phylloquinone, and vitamin K-2, or menaquinone. Vitamin K-3, or menadione, is the synthetic form in supplements. You can get toxicity symptoms, such as jaundice, if you take too much. Deficiency is rare in the U.S., but you may be at risk if you have liver disease, fat malabsorption disorders, or if you take anticoagulant medications.
Blood Clotting and Bone Strength
Vitamin K plays a significant role in the series of reactions that allow blood clotting to occur after you cut yourself. A deficiency of vitamin K can lead to hemorrhage. Vitamin K is also essential for bone health because it promotes bone mineralization to reduce bone loss over time. However, there is no conclusive evidence showing that taking more vitamin K reduces your risk for osteoporosis or fractures.
Requirements
For vitamin K, there is no recommended daily allowance because there is not enough definitive evidence for the exact amounts of dietary vitamin K that you need to prevent deficiency or improve health. Instead, the adequate intake is based on amounts that most healthy individuals get. The AI for vitamin K is 90 mcg for women, and 120 mcg for men, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center.
Sources
Vitamin K-1, or phylloquinone, is the most common form of vitamin K from your diet. You can get it from olive, soybean and canola oils, and leafy green vegetables, such as chard, spinach, watercress and lettuce. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular cooking does not lower the vitamin K content in foods. You can meet part of your vitamin K requirements from absorbing vitamin K-2, or menaquinone, that bacteria in the intestines synthesize.
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