Vitamin K & Diet: Benefits, Risks & RDA

Vitamin K plays several important roles in your body. It aids in blood clotting, which is essential for stopping bleeding when you have an injury. Vitamin K can also help you maintain bone mass and prevent osteoporosis. Vitamin K also works as an antioxidant to protect your body against damage from free radicals. Only attempt a low vitamin K diet if your doctor instructs you to do so due to a medical condition or drug regimen.

RDA

• The recommended daily allowance of vitamin K for adult women is 90 mcg and for adult men it is 120 mcg.

Significance

• If you are taking the medication warfarin, also known as Coumadin, your doctor will tell you to consume only low to moderate amounts of vitamin K.

Vegetable Sources

• Some vegetable sources of vitamin K include raw spinach, turnip greens, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.

Other Sources

• Other sources of vitamin K include milk, eggs, beef liver, soybean oil and wheat germ.

Deficiency

• While a deficiency in vitamin K is rare, it may occur due to a disease such as liver disease or an intestinal disorder. Some medications may lower your body's vitamin K levels, such as antibiotics (long-term use) and cholesterol lowering medications.