Vitamins And Minerals - Vitamin K - NHS

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Vitamin K - Vitamins and minerals

Contents

1. Overview
2. Vitamin A
3. B vitamins and folic acid
4. Vitamin C
5. Vitamin D
6. Vitamin E
7. Vitamin K
8. Calcium
9. Iodine
10. Iron
11. Others

Vitamin K is a group of vitamins that the body needs for blood clotting, helping wounds to heal.

There's also some evidence vitamin K may help keep bones healthy.

Good sources of vitamin K

Vitamin K is found in:

• green leafy vegetables – such as broccoli and spinach
• vegetable oils
• cereal grains

Small amounts can also be found in meat and dairy foods.

How much vitamin K do I need?

Adults need approximately 1 microgram a day of vitamin K for each kilogram of their body weight.

For example, someone who weighs 65kg would need 65 micrograms a day of vitamin K, while a person who weighs 75kg would need 75 micrograms a day.

A microgram is 1,000 times smaller than a milligram (mg). The word microgram is sometimes written with the Greek symbol μ followed by the letter g (μg).

You should be able to get all the vitamin K you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

Any vitamin K your body does not need immediately is stored in the liver for future use, so you do not need it in your diet every day.

What happens if I take too much vitamin K?

There's not enough evidence to know what the effects might be of taking high doses of vitamin K supplements each day.

What does the Department of Health and Social Care advise?

You should be able to get all the vitamin K you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

If you take vitamin K supplements, do not take too much as this might be harmful.

Taking 1mg or less of vitamin K supplements a day is unlikely to cause any harm.

Page last reviewed: 03 August 2020 Next review due: 03 August 2023

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