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Taking Warfarin? The Myth about Foods with Vitamin K
Are you taking the blood thinner warfarin to manage your risk of clots and A-Fib stroke? Have you been told to avoid foods with vitamin K to prevent excess clotting? Want to know the facts about warfarin and vitamin K? Take our 5 question quiz to separate the facts from the myths.
A 5 Question Quiz about Warfarin and Vitamin K
1. True or False: Warfarin and vitamin K actually work against each other in your body.
True. Vitamin K helps your blood clot. Warfarin makes your blood clot more slowly. Your INR level is monitored to keep them in balance.
2. True or False: When taking warfarin, you should limit foods with high levels of vitamin K like dark, leafy greens.
False. You don’t need to avoid foods with vitamin K. The key is to consistently maintain your daily level of vitamin K.
3. True or False: Vitamin K information is not included on most packaged food nutritional labels.
True. So it’s often hard to determine the amount of vitamin K in your food.
4. True or False: To be safe, it’s better to maintain a low level of vitamin K in your diet.
False. Don’t avoid vitamin K foods. Vitamin K is an important nutrient especially for bone strength, brain function and cardiovascular health.
5. True or False: A vitamin K supplement may actually help stabilize your INR levels.
True. Some experts suggest that a low-dose vitamin K supplement (50-150 mcg/day) may help stabilize fluctuations in INR.
About Warfarin and Vitamin K
Well, how’d you do on the quiz? Did you learn something? So, if you’re on warfarin, you now know the facts from the myths:
• You can eat dark, leafy greens rich with vitamin K
• You need to maintain a consistent intake of vitamin K
• Most nutritional labels won’t help when checking for the amount of vitamin K
• Vitamin K is important for bone strength, brain function and cardiovascular health
• A low-dose vitamin K supplement may help stabilize your INR
A Practical Reference to Vitamin K-rich Foods
For a practical reference about foods with vitamin K, check out the online ‘Vitamin K Finder’ at the ptinr.com website.
With over 5,000 items, simply select a food category or enter the food of interest in the search field. Each entry is rated as a low, medium, or high source of vitamin K, and lists the micrograms (mcg) per serving size. Helpful while shopping, dining out or traveling.
Safely Add More Foods with Vitamin K
Safety first. When on warfarin, don’t make any changes to your vitamin K intake without first talking to your doctor. Your warfarin dosage many need to be adjusted.
Discuss which foods and how much vitamin K you should target. Ask if a low-dose vitamin K supplement is appropriate for you.
Your Goal: For those on warfarin, you can return to eating the leafy greens you enjoy. And you can reclaim the benefits of vitamin K for bone strength, brain function and cardiovascular health.
Additional reading, go to: Arterial Calcification from Warfarin: Vitamin K May Reverse it
