Vitamin K
By WLR Dietitian
How much you need each day:
• There’s no RNI. A safe intake
is considered to be 1mcg per kilogram of body weight. For
example, a person who weighs 70kg will need about 70mcg of
vitamin K each day
Why you need it:
Vitamin K helps the blood to clot after a
cut or injury. Unlike most of the other vitamins, which need
to be supplied by the diet, about half of the vitamin K we get
is made in the large intestine by bacteria.
Good food sources:
As well as being made in the body, foods containing vitamin
k include green leafy vegetables, liver, milk,
vegetable oils, wholegrains, oats and meat.
Too little:
As our bodies make vitamin K, a deficiency is
rare but may occur in people who are given drugs that destroy
gut bacteria, for example, prolonged use of antibiotics. A
deficiency can cause easy bruising and a prolonged bleeding
time after an injury. Babies are given an injection of vitamin
K when they’re born as their gut is free of bacteria and
breast milk doesn’t contain much of this vitamin.
Top tip:
Probiotic drinks and yoghurts that contain
acidophilus bacteria help to boost levels of gut bacteria,
ensuring you make enough vitamin K. If you are taking a course
of antibiotics, it’s a good idea to include products like
these in your diet, as some drugs can inhibit the absorption
of this vitamin.
How to get enough:
Food
|
Vitamin K Content (mcg)
|
|
90g steamed spinach
|
216
|
|
90g boiled broccoli
|
90
|
|
90g boiled cabbage
|
90
|
|
150g lean grilled pork chop
|
17
|
|
300ml semi-skimmed milk
|
12
|
|
50g oats
|
10
|
|
