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Food Sources of Vitamin K

Posted by Blog Friday, March 4, 2011

Green leafy vegetables are the primary source of dietary vitamin K; please refer to Graph 6-1. Certain oils contribute a little vitamin K to the diet, including oils of olive, canola, and soybean. Kale and collards are excellent sources, with just one cup providing about ten times the dietary reference intake (DRI). Spinach and beet greens are also rich sources of vitamin K. These vegetables are also high in other important  icronutrients.


Summary for Vitamin K


Main functions: prevents excess bleeding and assists in bone mineralization.

Daily Recommended Intake: men, 120 mcg; women, 90 mcg.

Vitamin K is non-toxic. No tolerable upper level has been set.

Deficiency: rare in adults, may occur in newborn infants.

Food sources: green leafy vegetables are the best source.

Principal forms in the body: phylloquinone (vitamin K1). and menaquinone (vitamin K2)


Vitamin K is absorbed from the intestines with the help of bile salts. About 80 percent of dietary  hylloquinone (K1) is absorbed. The intestinal mucosa prepares the vitamin K for transport by the lymph system. The body stores very

 The Richest Sources of Vitamin K in Micrograms (mcg)



Kale 1 cup 1147

Collards 1 cup 1060

Spinach 1 cup 1027

Beet greens 1 cup 697

Brussels sprouts 1 cup 300

Lettuce 1 head 167

Parsley 10 sprigs 164

Cabbage 1 cup 163

Soybean oil 1 Tablespoon 26




Graph 6-1 Vitamin K in some common foods.


Table 6-1 Dietary Reference Intakes for vitamin K for all ages.




little vitamin K and regular dietary intake is necessary. Most of the vitamin K is stored in the liver. Vitamin K is constantly lost via the bile and also in urine. The conservation cycle allows some vitamin K to be reused.
Supplemental vitamin K is in the form of phylloquinone, vitamin K1. Normal doses range from 10 mcg to 120 mcg. The best way to supplement vitamin K is to eat abundant amounts of green leafy vegetables. Please refer to Table 6-1 for reference intakes of daily amounts of vitamin K. One of the forms of vitamin K2 is called menatetrenone (MK-4), and is being investigated for possible benefit in treating osteoporosis.


Toxicity of Vitamin K
No upper limit has been set for vitamin K. There is no known toxicity with high doses of vitamin K1 or vitamin K2. One form of vitamin K, menadione (vitamin K3), is no longer used for vitamin K deficiency because it may interfere with glutathione, an important antioxidant. To summarize, vitamin K is needed to prevent excess bleeding in case of injury. Vitamin K is also important for strong bones. Vitamin K is easy to find in green,
leafy vegetables.



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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