Vitamin K Deficiency

Ever wonder how your body heals a cut without much effort? Or how do bruises slowly fade away after you bump into something?

Vitamin K is a key player behind these functions. It’s a fat-soluble vitamin that ensures your blood clots properly and keeps bones strong and healthy. Without enough of it, your body can struggle to patch up wounds or maintain bone density.

Still, many people don't realize how a vitamin K deficiency can lead to significant problems like increased bleeding, bruising, or even weakened bones. And this deficiency is not just a concern for the elderly, it can affect people of any age group, especially people with certain health conditions or dietary habits.

In this article, we’ll dive into what causes this deficiency, the symptoms you need to watch out for, and most importantly, how you can prevent it. Let’s start by understanding why vitamin K is essential for your health.

Importance of Vitamin K

Let’s take a closer look at how vitamin K works behind the scenes to keep you healthy.

1. It Helps Your Blood Clot Properly

Vitamin K makes sure your blood clots when needed, helping you avoid excessive bleeding. If your body doesn’t have enough of this nutrient, even a minor cut could take longer to heal.

2. It Keeps Your Bones Strong

Vitamin K is not only important for blood clotting but also for bone health. It contributes to the production of osteocalcin, a protein necessary for strong and healthy bone tissue. Research shows that people with low levels of vitamin K are more likely to have bone fractures, especially as they get older.

It works alongside other nutrients, like calcium and vitamin D, to protect you from conditions such as osteoporosis, a disease that makes bones fragile and easy to break.

3. It’s Stored in the Liver

Vitamin K is stored in the liver and efficiently recycled within the body. This efficient use means you don’t need to intake this nutrient daily. Even with occasional gaps in your diet, your body usually has some reserves to rely on.

However, if you go too long without enough vitamin K, those reserves can run low, which increases the risk of bleeding problems and weak bones over time.

Elevate your health with Supply6 360, a potent wellness drink designed for individuals seeking improved energy, digestion, and immunity. Each sachet offers a powerful blend of vitamins and minerals, including 51 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin K.

While Vitamin K deficiency may not be something you hear about every day, the reasons behind what causes this deficiency are simple and straightforward.

What Causes Vitamin K Deficiency?

Understanding the root causes of vitamin K deficiency can help you effectively manage and prevent it. Let’s take a look at the causes and how these factors might affect you.

1. A Low-Fat Diet

Since vitamin K is fat-soluble, your body absorbs it better when it’s consumed with healthy fats like those in avocados, nuts, and olive oil.

If you follow a strict low-fat diet for a long time, your body might struggle to take in enough of this important nutrient.
While cutting down on unhealthy fats is smart, it's essential to include good fats that help absorb fat-soluble vitamins like K, A, D, and E.

2. Long-Term Use of Antibiotics

Antibiotics can help your body fight infections. But, did you know they also affect the friendly bacteria in your gut?

Normally, these bacteria help produce vitamin K2, a form of the vitamin crucial for blood clotting and bone strength.
Research suggests prolonged use of such antibiotics may significantly lower your body's ability to produce enough vitamin K on its own and leave you more vulnerable to deficiency.

3. Impact of Certain Medications

Some medications can reduce the effectiveness of vitamin K in your body. For example:

Anticoagulants (blood thinners) like warfarin are designed to prevent blood clots, but they can also block vitamin K’s natural role in clotting.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs, anti-TB, and some anti-seizure medications, as well as high doses of vitamins A and E, may also interfere with your body’s ability to absorb or use vitamin K effectively.

If you rely on these medications, it’s important to monitor your vitamin K levels under the guidance of a healthcare professional.

4. Rare Digestive Conditions

Certain health conditions can interfere with the way your body absorbs vitamin K from food.

People with cystic fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease (like Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis), or those with a blocked bile duct often struggle with fat absorption, which makes it harder to take in fat-soluble vitamins.
Surgeries that modify the digestive system, such as bariatric surgery, can also result in long-term absorption problems.

Liver diseases further increase the risk since they affect the synthesis of vitamin K-dependent factors, which help prevent excessive bleeding. In such cases, vitamin K deficiency can become a real concern.

Want to learn about other vitamin deficiencies? Click on this blog about the sign and symptoms that can help you identify vitamin deficiency in your body.

Now if you’re worried about keeping your vitamin K levels in check, the good news is you can find it in plenty of everyday foods.

Vitamin K Sources

To make sure you get enough vitamin K, it's helpful to know which foods are rich in this essential nutrient. There are two main types of vitamin K: K1 (phylloquinone) and K2 (menaquinone). Both are essential, but they come from different sources.

Let’s walk through some simple, practical ways you can get enough vitamin K in your diet.

Leafy Greens

If you enjoy salads or smoothies, you’re already halfway there. Leafy green vegetables are some of the best sources of vitamin K1 (phylloquinone). Vitamin K1 is primarily found in leafy vegetables like:

Spinach
Kale
Swiss chard
Broccoli
Cabbage

A single serving of these greens can provide more than your daily requirement of vitamin K. For example, just a cup of kale provides an incredible amount of vitamin K1, giving you about 94% of your Daily Value (DV). Steaming or lightly sautéing them can help increase your body’s ability to absorb this nutrient.

Fermented Foods and Animal Products

Vitamin K2 comes from fermented foods and animal products and plays a critical role in bone health and preventing heart disease. Some of the best sources include:

Natto (a traditional Japanese fermented soybean dish)
Sauerkraut
Cheese
Eggs
Fatty fish like salmon and mackerel

Fruits and nuts also support your vitamin K needs. Among nuts, cashews are quite rich sources. Oils such as soybean and canola oil also contain vitamin K, offering a convenient way to boost intake. Since vitamin K is fat-soluble, it's effectively absorbed when consumed with fats—like in a salad with olive oil.

Recommended Daily Intake

The recommended daily intake is 120 μg for adult men and 90 μg for adult women, and the amount remains the same for pregnant and lactating women. Children (ages 9-18), on the other hand, require 60-75 μg of vitamin K daily.

If you’re looking for a practical way to stay on top of your nutrition even when life gets busy, the Supply6 Wholesome Meal is the perfect solution. This convenient drink is made from 100% whole foods and delivers six essential nutrient groups, including vitamin K.

Now let’s see what will happen in case of a vitamin K deficiency and how you can spot a deficiency.

Symptoms of Vitamin K Deficiency

Without adequate vitamin K, the body's clotting system is impaired, leading to several noticeable symptoms. Let’s walk through the most common symptoms and what they mean for your well-being.

Easy Bruising and Unexplained Bleeding

If you find bruises on your skin without knowing where they came from, it could be a sign of low vitamin K levels. When your body doesn't have enough vitamin K, it struggles to form blood clots properly. It may lead to frequent or unexplained bruising, even from minor bumps.

Trouble Stopping Bleeding After an Injury or Surgery

When the body is injured, it rapidly works to stop bleeding through clot formation. However, with vitamin K deficiency, this process is slowed significantly. It makes it difficult for your blood to stop flowing after an injury. This issue can become even more noticeable after surgeries, where proper clotting is critical for recovery.

Heavier Menstrual Periods

Those who menstruate may experience abnormally heavy or longer periods if they have a vitamin K deficiency. Since vitamin K ensures smooth blood clotting, a lack of it can cause menstrual bleeding to become more intense and difficult to manage.

When it comes to health, understanding what’s going on inside your body is half the battle. If you suspect that you have vitamin K deficiency, healthcare providers rely on specific tests and methods to confirm it.

How is Vitamin K Deficiency Diagnosed?

Let’s break down the key steps used to diagnose this condition:

1. Blood Tests to Measure Clotting Time

Blood tests can be a crucial tool for diagnosing vitamin K deficiency. Doctors often perform a prothrombin time (PT) test. This test measures how long it takes for your blood to form a clot. If it takes longer than expected, it might indicate a vitamin K deficiency

2. Elevated INR Levels

International Normalized Ratio (INR) is used to standardize PT results, especially in people taking blood-thinning medications like warfarin. A higher INR means your blood takes longer to clot. If the elevated INR improves after giving you vitamin K, that’s a clear sign that low vitamin K is the cause of the problem.

3. Measuring Vitamin K Levels Directly

Though it’s less common, some doctors might check your vitamin K levels directly through specialized blood tests. These tests can detect whether you’re lacking vitamin K1 or K2, helping to understand which part of your diet or lifestyle might be falling short.

This video explains the symptoms and prevention of Vitamin K deficiency by discussing foods rich in Vitamin K and the causes of the deficiency.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTaC6mm6iZs

How to Treat Vitamin K Deficiency?

Acting promptly on this deficiency helps prevent potential complications, such as uncontrolled bleeding or bone issues. Here’s how healthcare professionals typically address the deficiency:

1. Supplements: Oral or Injection

Doctors often recommend vitamin K supplements as the first step in treatment. Depending on the severity of the deficiency, they may suggest oral tablets or, in more serious cases, injections.

Oral supplements are usually prescribed for milder deficiencies or as a preventive measure.
Injections are given if the deficiency is severe or if your body struggles to absorb vitamin K due to digestive issues.

The injectable form is known as vitamin K1 (phytonadione). It works quickly to restore healthy levels, especially if you’ve had significant bleeding or need emergency care.

Learn how vitamin supplements prove to be helpful in this guide on the benefits and need of vitamin tablets.

2. Add Vitamin K-Rich Foods to Your Diet

Supplements alone aren’t enough if you want to maintain long-term health. It’s equally important to adjust your diet to include foods that are naturally rich in vitamin K. Include leafy greens, plant oils, and vegetables in your diet regularly. These foods contain the forms of vitamin K your body needs to support blood clotting and bone health.

3. Consult a Healthcare Provider

Even though vitamin K supplements are generally safe, they can interact with certain medications. So before starting any supplements, it’s important to consult with your healthcare provider. Your doctor will determine the right dosage based on your specific situation, ensuring you receive just what your body needs without any unnecessary risks.

Conclusion

Vitamin K plays a crucial role in our health, ensuring proper blood clotting and maintaining strong bones. Although it’s rare, a vitamin K deficiency can have serious consequences, leading to potentially dangerous bleeding disorders. If diagnosed early, vitamin K deficiency can be treated with supplements and proper medical guidance.

At Supply6, we know that eating healthy isn’t always easy when you’re juggling a busy life. That’s why our products are designed to give you essential nutrients—so you never have to compromise on your health.

With Supply6, you stay healthy, active, and prepared—no matter where life takes you. Don’t leave your health to chance. Explore our collection and find the perfect drink to fit your routine.