The Healthspan Map · Nutrient

Vitamin K

Compiled by Aamir Malik, PhD, Professor of Neuroengineering at Brno University of Technology, from published studies. He is a researcher, not a physician. Last updated 21 August 2026.

Linked to getting too little

Where a shortfall of Vitamin K is linked: 5 sources.In the order the Map holds them: strongest evidence first. That is a statement about the evidence, not about what matters most.
Condition or system	Direction	Strength	Evidence type	What was found	Source
Osteoporosis / low bone density	Eat enough of	Moderate	RCT / meta-analysis	Vitamin K carboxylates osteocalcin so it can bind calcium to bone; K2 improved lumbar-spine BMD in postmenopausal women (fracture data mixed).	Vitamin K2 & BMD meta (opens in a new tab)
Blood / Hematologic	Eat enough of	Strong	Established clinical	Vitamin K is the cofactor for clotting-factor carboxylation; deficiency impairs coagulation and causes bleeding/hemorrhage (life-threatening intracranial bleeding in newborns).	NIH ODS / LPI – Vitamin K (opens in a new tab)
Blood / Hematologic	Eat enough of	Strong	Established clinical	Vitamin K is the cofactor for clotting-factor carboxylation; deficiency impairs coagulation and causes bleeding/hemorrhage (life-threatening intracranial bleeding in newborns).	Linus Pauling Institute — Vitamin K (opens in a new tab)
Cardiovascular	Eat enough of	Moderate	Established clinical	Vitamin K-dependent proteins inhibit vascular mineralization; low status is associated with arterial (vascular) calcification and cardiovascular disease.	LPI / NIH ODS – Vitamin K (opens in a new tab)
Cardiovascular	Eat enough of	Moderate	Established clinical	Vitamin K-dependent proteins inhibit vascular mineralization; low status is associated with arterial (vascular) calcification and cardiovascular disease.	NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Vitamin K (opens in a new tab)

Linked to getting too much

Where an excess of Vitamin K is linked: 1 source.In the order the Map holds them: strongest evidence first. That is a statement about the evidence, not about what matters most.
Condition or system	Direction	Strength	Evidence type	What was found	Source
Blood / Hematologic	Don't overdo	Moderate	Established clinical	Natural K1/K2 have no UL and very low toxicity, BUT synthetic menadione (K3) causes hemolytic anemia in infants (discontinued); and excess K antagonizes warfarin, reducing anticoagulation and raising clotting risk in those patients.	LPI – Vitamin K (opens in a new tab)

The Healthspan Map is part of Fix the Floor, a book by Aamir Malik. About the book