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Deficiency of Vitamin K

Posted by Blog Friday, March 4, 2011

Healthy adults rarely have a deficiency of vitamin K. Adult deficiency is normally not seen unless there is liver disease or if anticoagulant drugs are being used. Vitamin K is abundant in food. In addition, the bacteria in the large intestine synthesize vitamin K2, menaquinone. It is not clear how much of this vitamin K2 is absorbed and used. As much as half of the daily requirement may be produced by these bacteria. One more reason that deficiency is rare is that vitamin K can be used over and over again in a conservation cycle.


Why Adult Vitamin K Deficiency is Rare Vitamin K is common in food.

Bacteria make vitamin K in the large intestine.

Vitamin K is reused in a conservation cycle.


Vitamin K deficiency can be determined by laboratory tests that measure clotting time. Blood clotting may be slower when there is a deficiency of vitamin K. Symptoms of vitamin K deficiency include nosebleeds, bleeding gums, prolonged bleeding from cuts, or blood in the urine or stool.

Infant Vitamin K Deficiency
Infant vitamin K deficiency can cause intracranial hemorrhage (bleeding inside the skull) and can be life-threatening. As many as one in five thousand infants may develop vitamin K deficiency bleeding unless supplemental vitamin K is given. There are three reasons why infants may have low levels of vitamin K. The first reason is that breast milk is normally low in vitamin K. Newborn infants are estimated to receive about ten percent of their recommended daily intake when breastfeeding. Normal doses of supplementary vitamin K given to the nursing mother do not seem to elevate breast milk levels of vitamin K. The second reason is that the newborn’s intestines may not contain the bacteria that synthesize menaquinone (vitamin K2). Finally, infants may not have fully developed their vitamin K conservation cycle .

Why Newborn Infants May be Deficient in Vitamin K


Vitamin K levels in breast milk are low.

Bacteria to make vitamin K in the large intestine may not yet be ready.

The vitamin K conservation cycle may not be developed.




Because of these reasons, newborn infants are routinely given an injection of 1000 mcg of vitamin K1 (phylloquinone). Some infants receive one to three oral doses of vitamin K instead, which is almost as effective as the single injection. A single injection results in extremely high levels of vitamin K in the blood. An infant’s blood level of vitamin K may go up to 9000 times the normal adult level, tapering off to 100 times the normal adult level after four days. Lower doses of vitamin K are recommended for premature infants.


For mothers who refuse vitamin K injections for their infant, several oral doses of vitamin K are an alternative. If neither is chosen, dietary changes may reduce the possibility of vitamin K deficiency bleeding. While extra vitamin K intake during pregnancy does not increase vitamin K in the unborn child, large amounts of vitamin K intake during breastfeeding can increase the infant’s blood vitamin K levels.

The vitamin K deficiency bleeding problems normally occur one to seven weeks after birth. Mothers would need to eat a cup of broccoli or other vitamin K-rich food and a large green salad coupled with extra  upplementation to boost the infant’s vitamin K levels. Careful monitoring of bleeding tendencies in  newborns would also be needed by mothers who refuse or who are unable to use either vitamin K injections or oral dosing.


More about K -Vitamin:

Vitamin K

Vitamin K and Blood Clotting

Vitamin K and Bone Mineralization

Deficiency of Vitamin K

Food Sources of Vitamin K

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