Vitamin K is one of the four essential fat-soluble vitamins, along with vitamins A, D and E. Your body utilizes fat to metabolize, or break down, and store these nutrients. Vitamin K is important for women since it helps keep bones strong. Women have a high risk of bone loss during and after menopause. Consuming the right nutrients, such as vitamin K, can help improve your bone health and decrease your risk of osteoporosis.
Dosage and Types
Adult women need 90 mcg of vitamin K each day, and this amount stays the same during pregnancy and lactation. Natural vitamin K found in plant foods comes from chlorophyll. This substance gives plants their bright green color. The three types of vitamin K are phylloquinone or K1, menaquinone or K2 and menaphthone or K3. Over-the-counter multivitamins and vitamin K supplements contain K1 and K3, which are easily absorbed by the body. Check with your doctor first if you decide to take dietary supplements.
Benefits
Vitamin K is best known for its ability to stop bleeding by forming clots. Without adequate amounts of vitamin K, you would continuously bleed if you had an injury. Taking a blood thinner may affect the blood-clotting effects of vitamin K and lead to bleeding and bruising. Some proteins within bones depend on vitamin K. It is important for women to get enough vitamin K to help prevent osteoporosis, which decreases bone mass and causes bones to become brittle.
Deficiency
Vitamin K is readily available in several foods, so having a deficiency is rare. Bacteria in your intestines can also make vitamin K if your body needs it. If you are taking an antibiotic, it may kill some of those beneficial bacteria, and a mild deficiency can occur. Vitamin K deficiency can also occur from malabsorption. Women may have health issues such as cystic fibrosis, gallbladder problems or Crohn's disease. These problems may affect the absorption of this fat-soluble vitamin, and your body may not be utilizing it properly, even if you consume enough.
Toxicity
Since vitamin K can be stored in your body, it is possible to consume too much. No toxicity levels are known for vitamin K1 or K2; however, allergic reactions are possible, notes the Linus Pauling Institute. While you can consume too much vitamin K3, exact tolerable upper limits have not been established. Your doctor may suggest a dosage up to 1000 mcg to help prevent or treat osteoporosis, but you should not take this much without the direction of a physician.
Food Sources
Freezing foods high in vitamin K may destroy the vitamin, but cooking or heating the food doesn't affect it. Several oils are high in vitamin K. A 1-tbsp. serving of olive oil has 8 mcg; soybean oil has 25 mcg; and canola oil has 17 mcg per tbsp. Eating your vegetables is the easiest way to get the vitamin K you need. A 1-cup serving of steamed broccoli provides 220 mcg; 1/2 cup of cooked kale contains 275 mcg; and 1 cup of raw spinach has 145 mcg.
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