Coumadin, an anticoagulant medication, prevents your blood from clotting, which helps protect you against blood clot related problems, such as heart attacks, strokes and pulmonary embolisms. Unfortunately, vitamin K, a nutrient found in rhubarb, enhances your blood's ability to clot and decreases the effectiveness of Coumadin. Keep the effectiveness of your Coumadin stable by consistently consuming the same amount of vitamin K.
Rhubarb and Vitamin K
One cup of diced, raw rhubarb contains 351 mg of vitamin K, making it a food high in vitamin K. Other foods high in vitamin K include kale, spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, Swiss chard, parsley and mustard greens. If you choose to eat rhubarb, consume only one serving a day and ensure you consume at least one serving of a food high in vitamin K every day to keep your vitamin K intake relatively stable. Keeping your vitamin K intake stable allows your doctor to adjust your Coumadin prescription to counteract the effects of vitamin K. The consumption of large amounts of vitamin K one day and little to no vitamin K the next day may cause fluctuations in Coumadin’s ability to prevent clotting.
Rhubarb and Heart Health
Doctors often prescribe Coumadin as part of the treatment following heart valve replacement surgery, a heart attack or heart arrhythmia. Part of your treatment for these conditions involves following a heart-healthy diet plan that focuses on increasing your intake of fruits, whole grains, lean proteins and vegetables, while limiting your intake of salt, unhealthy fats and cholesterol. Rhubarb fits into your heart-healthy diet as a vegetable that contains almost no fat, 2.2 g of fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals per cup that support healthy heart function.
Diet Plan
While you do not need to follow a special diet while taking Coumadin, certain foods change how well Coumadin thins your blood and prevents clots. MayoClinic.com indicates that garlic, black licorice, cranberries and alcohol all interact with Coumadin in your body. While occasionally eating a serving of these foods does not cause major increases or decreases in the effectiveness of Coumadin, avoid eating them regularly. Consult your doctor if you enjoy consuming any of these substances on a regular basis, so your doctor has the ability to perform regular blood tests that monitor Coumadin’s effectiveness in your body.
Considerations
Contact your doctor anytime you cannot follow your normal diet or knowingly consume varying amounts of rhubarb, or any other food that alters the way Coumadin works in your body. If Coumadin becomes too effective, you risk experiencing extensive bleeding that may put your life in danger and require a blood transfusion. If it is not effective enough, you risk experiencing damage from a blood clot. Also, seek immediate medical attention if you experience bloody or tarry stools, coughing up of blood, blood in your urine, vomiting that resembles coffee grounds, unusual bruising or bleeding, bleeding that won’t stop from small cuts or tiny red spots under your skin; this could indicate that your Coumadin levels may be too high.
References
- U. S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Database: Rhubarb
- Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center: Coumadin and Vitamin K
- MayoClinic.com: Heart-Healthy Diet: 8 Steps to Prevent Heart Disease; Mayo Clinic staff; March 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Warfarin Diet: What Foods Should I Avoid?; Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.; May 2010;
- MedlinePlus: Warfarin
