I recently read that vitamin K is very good and the advice was to take a higher dose than recommended. Now the pharmacy assistant told me that this vitamin affects blood clotting. I used to take blood thinners for atrial fibrillation. Can I take extra vitamin K?
Joris Bartstra, journalist with medical diploma
That’s hard to say. In recent years there has been a lot of interest in vitamin K for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. It is believed to play a role in preventing brittle bones, especially in women. In addition, there are indications that it may play a role in keeping blood vessels healthy.
The oldest known function of vitamin K is that it is necessary for the production of clotting proteins. The anticoagulants of the thrombosis service, for example, counteract the effect of vitamin K.
At the moment little research has been done on vitamin K and we don’t know what the impact could be from taking in much more vitamin K than is in our regular food. It is not clear whether your arteries remain healthy for longer, whether you have a lower risk of osteoporosis or whether you may have a much higher risk of the diseases that result from an overactive blood clotting, such as heart attacks and strokes.
Since you were taking blood thinners for atrial fibrillation, I would in any case be careful with any drug that might promote clotting, especially if you’re doing it for health benefits that aren’t actually proven at all. Taking extra vitamin K seems like a hype that can be quite risky.
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