Do you have easy bruising, frequent nose bleeds, bleeding gums, heavy menstrual periods, or presence of blood in urine or stool?

These could all be the symptoms of Vitamin K deficiency. Vitamin K is a cofactor in a number of biochemical pathways. One of these pathways is essential for the production of clotting factors in the blood. Low Vitamin K will therefore cause more bleeding problems.

Vitamin K is also important in the production of bone. Women who have had osteoporosis or osteopenia and have taken Vitamin K have shown an increase in bone density. Vitamin K is a very important factor is building up bones so every woman should be taking it if they have bone density problems.

Vitamin K has also been shown to have anticancer effects. It seems to inhibit cancer cell growth.

Vitamin K is found in dark green leafy vegetables but is mostly supplemented in vitamin pills when needed in higher doses.

There are certain instances in which Vitamin K needs to be used with caution. If you are taking some blood thinning medications you need to be careful with Vitamin K supplementation. Vitamin K is contraindicated when taking Warfarin (Coumadin).

Typical dosages of Vitamin K vary with the need of the individual. For Osteoporosis a typical dose is about 45 mg a day. A preventative dose of 2-5 mg a day is sufficient to keep bones healthy in an individual without osteoporosis.

Dr. Leah