Why Vitamin K Can Be Dangerous if You Take Warfarin

If you are a heart client who is taking blood slimmers, such as warfarin (Coumadin ®), you require to be careful not to overdo vitamin K.

Blood slimmers are typically recommended for individuals in jeopardy for creating dangerous blood clots.

If you suddenly enhance your consumption of vitamin K consumption in your diet, it can have an unintentional consequence. It can actually decrease the effect of warfarin.

This is because vitamin K is a vital part of the chemical process for developing blood embolisms in your body.

Don’ t reduced vitamin K out completely

You don’t intend to remove vitamin K completely, as it exists in a range of healthy, nutrient-rich foods. These consist of leafy greens and also several vegetables. Instead, be smart regarding just how much vitamin K you eat, be regular, and also deal with your doctor to find simply the right balance.

For instance, if you consume a diet plan abundant in vitamin K, you might need to examine your blood a bit extra frequesntly or take more warfarin. If you change your diet plan as well as consume fewer foods consisting of vitamin K, you may need to take much less warfarin.

Work with your medical professional to discover the right dosage for you.

Here are 3 ideas to assist you safely manage your vitamin K consumption:

1. Take notice of food tags to keep your vitamin K consumption consistent

” Vitamin K foods can be included in your diet regimen regularly as long as you are conscious of the portion and keep the total consumption of vitamin K-rich foods regular, says Julia Zumpano, RD, LD.

For instance, you can choose to have a vitamin K rich food daily, each week, or 3 times in a week– as long as you maintain this section as well as frequency regular, she says.

” If needed, you can discuss including routine sources of vitamin K in your diet with your doctor in situation your warfarin dose would certainly require to be changed,” she includes. You will intend to inform your doctor exactly how usually you consume foods high in vitamin K as well as just how much of those foods you eat. Being knowledgeable concerning vitamin K is a key to handling it in your diet.

There are a variety of vegetables that include lower quantities of vitamin K. These consist of:

Tomatoes
Peppers
Carrots
Cauliflower
Cucumbers
Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Squash (both summer and winter months).

Iceberg lettuce is low and also romaine is additionally rather low, so the majority of individuals can consume either if them daily. Furthermore, make sure to read tags on multivitamins as they have differing quantities of vitamin K. Talk with your doctor concerning what vitamins you ought to take.

2. Be careful of organic supplements and also omega-3 supplements (EPA/DHA)

You may need to stay clear of specific supplements as well as vitamins to maintain your blood worths secure. Speak to your doctor concerning any kind of and all supplements you take to be certain they are not conflicting with your blood thinners.

3. Take blood thinners in constant way

Another way to manage just how well your blood slimmers job is to take your dose of warfarin at the very same time daily, as well as from day to day, ensure your vitamin K intake is constant. To ensure you get on track, have your blood worths inspected frequently (usually as soon as per month with your physician, this might be more frequently throughout dosage adjusting).

Vitamin K in popular foods

Below, locate even more details on the quantity of vitamin K present in various foods, consisting of leafy greens, veggies and also various other foods as provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

When it comes to blood thinners, the extra you recognize the much better you can manage your diet regimen. Make sure to speak with your doctor if you have any concerns.

Foods with high to modest vitamin K
Food	Serving Size	Vitamin K (mcg)
Kale	cooked 1/2 cup	531
Spinach	cooked 1/2 cup	444
Collards	cooked 1/2 cup	418
Swiss chard	raw 1 cup	299
Swiss chard	cooked 1/2 cup	287
Mustard greens	raw 1 cup	279
Turnip greens	cooked 1/2 cup	265
Parsley	raw 1/4 cup	246
Broccoli	cooked 1 cup	220
Brussels sprouts	cooked 1 cup	219
Mustard greens	cooked 1/2 cup	210
Collards	raw 1 cup	184
Spinach	raw 1 cup	145
Turnip greens	raw 1 cup	138
Endive	raw 1 cup	116

Foods low in vitamin K
Food	Serving Size	Vitamin K (mcg)
Broccoli	raw 1 cup	89
Cabbage	cooked 1/2 cup	82
Green leaf lettuce	raw 1 cup	45
Prunes	stewed 1 cup	65
Romaine lettuce	raw 1 cup	48
Asparagus	4 spears	48
Avocado	1 cup (cube, slice, puree)	34-48
Tuna	canned in oil 3 ounces	37
Blue/black berries	raw 1 cup	29
Peas	cooked 1/2 cup	21