Vitamin K details
What Vitamin K shows
Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) is the main dietary form of vitamin K, obtained primarily from leafy green vegetables, and it's essential for activating several of the clotting factors your liver produces — meaning vitamin K deficiency can impair normal blood clotting and increase bleeding risk. It also plays a supporting role in bone health. Deficiency can occur with certain malabsorption conditions, very restrictive diets, prolonged antibiotic use (which can affect gut bacteria that also contribute some vitamin K), or in newborns, who are typically given a preventive vitamin K injection shortly after birth due to naturally low levels at birth.
Tests that include Vitamin K
Vitamin K is a required co-factor for the synthesis of factors 2, 7, 9, and 10 and proteins C and S. Deficiencies of vitamin K lead to bleeding. Coumadin (warfarin) acts as an anticoagulant because it is a vitamin K antagonist.
- Vitamin K The main dietary form of vitamin K, essential for normal blood clotting and also involved in bone health.
Vitamin K1 plays a crucial role in blood clotting and bone metabolism. Assessing Vitamin K1 levels can help identify deficiencies that may be associated with conditions such as obstructive liver disease, malabsorption disorders, pancreatitis, prolonged diarrhea, or antibiotic overuse. Identifying and addressing deficiencies is essential for managing blood clotting disorders, supporting bone health, and preventing hemorrhagic conditions, particularly in newborns.
- Vitamin K The main dietary form of vitamin K, essential for normal blood clotting and also involved in bone health.
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