Briefly describe which groups of people may be susceptible to vitamin K deficiency as well as those who need to monitor vitamin K in their diets to avoid fluctuations in vitamin K levels

Answer 1

Because vitamin K is obtained both in the diet and via the intestinal bacteria, deficiencies are rare and occur only under unusual circumstances. Taking antibiotics for an extended period of time, for instance, could kill some of the intestinal bacteria and thereby prompt a deficiency.

Newborn babies are the one group that is commonly susceptible to vitamin K deficiency, because a baby's digestive tract contains no bacteria before birth. After birth, the infant's intestinal tract gradually becomes populated with bacteria, but this happens over time. What's more, baby formula or breast milk generally doesn't contain adequate amounts of vitamin K. Thus, newborns are given a dose of vitamin K to prevent the possibility of a life-threatening hemorrhage in the case of injury.

Vitamin K toxicity is rare, but it can occur when supplemental doses are taken. In particular, adults who must pay attention to the amount of vitamin K in their diet are those who take anticoagulant drugs designed to prevent the blood from clotting and possibly causing a stroke or heart attack. People taking such medications are advised to keep their consumption of vitamin K fairly constant from day to day, because large fluctuations can limit the effectiveness of the anticlotting drugs.