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Leafy greenish vegetables arepacked with nutrientssuch as fiber , vitamins , minerals andantioxidants — but the verdant veggies can intervene with some medication , such as warfarin , used to prevent stock coagulum .
Why do leafy greens interact with these medications ?
It comes down to the highvitamin Kcontent in leafy greenish vegetables , Joan Salge Blake , a nutrition prof and registered dietitian nutritionist at Boston University , told Live Science in an electronic mail . Many veggie — like kale , spinach , collard greens , Swiss chard , cabbage , chicory escarole , broccoli and Brussels sprouts — are peculiarly rich in vitamin K , containingmore than 100 micrograms per serve .
One reason vitamin K is significant is that the body employ it to make curdling factors , which are proteins required for a blood clot to mould , Salge Blake said . line of descent clottingis part of the body ’s automatic reply to injury and help to forbid excessive pedigree loss .
" Without vitamin K , a childlike cut on your finger would cause uncontrollable bleeding , " Salge Blake said .
touch on : How does grapefruit interact with drugs ?
But in some case , blood clots form spontaneously , when there is n’t an discriminating injury . When these clots come out in the arterial blood vessel or veins , they can bar blood flow to the heart and soul , brain , lungs and other organ . These clots can lead to biography - threatening conditions , like aheart attack , virgule or pulmonary embolism , in which number of a coagulum fracture off and travel to the lungs .
To lower the risk of ancestry coagulum in people with certain medical stipulation , such as atrial fibrillation , doctors order anticoagulant medications , also known as blood diluent . A usually order anticoagulant medication is warfarin ( brand name name : Coumadin ) . Warfarin form by blocking an enzyme that activates vitamin K. With less active vitamin K available , fewer clotting factors are let go of and stock clots form more lento .
When a person on warfarin on the spur of the moment increases their intake of vitamin - K - rich nutrient , like leafy green veg , this boost in the vitamin can antagonize the effect of the drug . This ultimately stool the discourse less effective and allows the rake to clot too easily .
Does this mean that people on warfarin should invalidate leafy light-green veg ? Not necessarily . If the amount of vitamin K in a person ’s diet abruptly drop really low , Coumadin can become too effectual , increasing the risk of excessive haemorrhage .
So what ’s the result ? The key to prevent fluctuations in warfarin ’s effectiveness is to keep up a consistent intake of vitamin K , Salge Blake pronounce .
" Eating more or less leafy green vegetables than common from week to week will make warfarin ’s clotting core hard to predict , which will in turning affect the clotting and bleeding in the body,“Anastasiya Shor , an assistant professor at Touro College of Pharmacy in New York , say Live Science in an email .
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Some leafy greens contain more vitamin honey oil than others . For example , lettuce , asparagus and okra contain30 to 75 micrograms ( mcg)of vitamin K per serving , whereas a serving of spinach or kail containsmore than 150 mcg .
mass on ancestry thinners can still propose for therecommended amount of vitamin Kin their diet , but should " keep the sources of vitamin K in their diet alike from week to week to make certain that the effect of the warfarin medication stays consistent in the body , " Shor articulate .
To obviate interactions between leafy fleeceable vegetables and blood thinners , people taking such medicine should hash out their diet and any changes in their hebdomadary vitamin KiB inlet with their wellness precaution providers , Shor tell .
" It ’s a squad effort with the affected role , cross-file dietitian nutritionist , and Dr. all bring together for the best health outcome , " Salge Blake said . ( new ancestry thinners , as well as elderly one like aspirin , sour by a unlike mechanism and do not have this interaction . )
This article is for informational determination only and is not think of to offer up medical advice .
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