CONSISTENT VITAMIN K INTAKE HELPS STABILIZE INRs

Patients taking warfarin often havequestions related to eating green leafyvegetables. Well-meaning family members,friends, and health care providersmay tell them that they should avoidfoods high in vitamin K (generally, greenleafy vegetables and some oils).Adopting this advice, however, maymake stabilization of the internationalnormalized ratio (INR) difficult.

If a patient has a diet that is very lowin vitamin K intake, any increase in greenleafy vegetables represents a large percentageincrease in vitamin K, and alarge drop in the INR. Patients with dietsalready high in vitamin K who increasetheir intake of green leafy vegetables willhave a much lower percentage increase.

Dr. Garrett is a clinical pharmacistpractitioner at Cornerstone Health Carein High Point, NC.