Vitamine K tekort? Zo herken je het en dit kun je eraan doen

Vitamin K deficiency? Here's how to recognize it and what you can do about it.

Geschreven door: Ebrina van der Bijl

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Gepubliceerd op:

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Leesduur: 7 min

Did you know that almost all babies in the Netherlands receive extra vitamin K because they can't produce it themselves yet? Fortunately, a deficiency is rare in adults, but it can occur in some situations. (1)

You only need vitamin K in small amounts, but its role is significant. It helps your blood clot normally and contributes to strong bones. (2)

In this article you can read when you need to be extra vigilant, how to recognize a deficiency and what you can do to quickly replenish your vitamin K.

Vitamin K deficiency is rare in adults, but can occur with intestinal or liver problems, certain medications, a one-sided diet, or after surgery that affects fat absorption.

Signs of deficiency include easy bruising, nosebleeds, bleeding from wounds, and bleeding gums; in the long term, bone weakening may also occur.

Babies are routinely given extra vitamin K because they are born with low supplies and breast milk does not contain enough to prevent dangerous bleeding.

Table of contents
Symptoms of a Vitamin K Deficiency Main Causes of a Vitamin K Deficiency Step- by-step Plan for a Vitamin K Deficiency Vitamin K1 vs K2 (and MK-7) Product Tip How Much Do You Need? Vitamin K for Babies My Personal Advice

Symptoms of a Vitamin K Deficiency

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin. Your body can store it in fatty tissue and the liver, making deficiencies less likely to develop than with water-soluble vitamins (such as B and C). Therefore, a deficiency often develops slowly.

If you do have a deficiency, you will often notice this in the following ways:

  • Bruising easily
  • Frequent nosebleeds
  • Long-term bleeding from minor wounds
  • Bleeding gums

In the long term, a deficiency can also weaken your bones, because important bone proteins don't function properly without vitamin K. (3)

Good to know : Without extra vitamin K, newborns can develop a deficiency that leads to vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB). This can cause serious bleeding in the skin, intestines, or even the brain. Therefore, babies in the Netherlands are routinely given extra vitamin K. (1)

Main causes of vitamin K deficiency

If you're healthy and have a varied diet, a deficiency is almost non-existent. It's especially prevalent in babies and in a few specific situations in adults:

  1. Low Stores in Newborns - Babies are born with little vitamin K because little is passed across the placenta. (3)
  2. Low Vitamin K in Breast Milk - Breast milk does not contain enough Vitamin K for a baby. (4)
  3. Bile duct problems or cholestasis in babies - Liver or biliary diseases make the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as K difficult. (5)
  4. Bowel diseases in adults (such as celiac disease or Crohn's disease) - In these cases, fat is absorbed less well, and therefore also vitamin K. (6)
  5. Long-term use of antibiotics - These also kill the gut bacteria that normally produce K₂. (7)
  6. Poor fat absorption - In conditions such as IBD, cystic fibrosis, liver or bile problems, vitamin K is less well absorbed.(8)
  7. Bariatric surgery - After gastric bypass or sleeve surgery, the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins is reduced. (8)
  8. One-sided diet. Those who eat few green vegetables (K₁) or hardly any fermented/animal products (K₂) can develop deficiencies. (1)
  9. Severe liver disease (such as cirrhosis) - The liver plays a key role in processing K. When damaged, this goes wrong. (8)
  10. Medicines - Some medicines affect absorption or effect, such as vitamin K antagonists, certain anti-epileptics, painkillers and cholesterol-lowering agents. (9)
  11. Eating disorders (such as anorexia or bulimia) - A one-sided diet, vomiting or laxatives can cause a deficiency. (10)

Step-by-step plan for a vitamin K deficiency

Not sure if you're getting enough vitamin K? Don't worry: You can often get a lot from food or a simple supplement.

  1. Safety first - Do you have unexplained bleeding or are you taking blood thinners? Always consult your doctor first.
  2. Supplement - A supplement is the fastest way to replenish: 75–100 µg K1 or 90–180 µg K2 (preferably MK-7).
  3. Diet - Also eat green vegetables with some fat every day, and occasionally choose cheese, yogurt, eggs or natto.
  4. Address the root cause - Does the problem keep recurring, or are you experiencing intestinal or liver problems? Consult a doctor or dietitian for guidance.

Vitamin K1 vs. K2 (and MK-7)

Vitamin K is a collective name for several substances. The most important are K1 and K2. Both are fat-soluble and contribute to normal blood clotting.

  • K1 is mainly found in green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale. It's absorbed quickly but doesn't stay in your body long.
  • K2 is found in fermented foods like natto and cheese, and in smaller amounts in animal products. This form circulates longer and therefore reaches more tissues.

Good to know : Within K2, MK-4 and MK-7 are the most well-known. MK-7 remains active the longest and is therefore the best used. (12)

Product tip

Our vitamin K supplement contains the potent form of K2, MK-7 , dissolved in high-quality olive oil . This ensures you're getting a highly absorbable form .

How much do you need?

The recommendation in the Netherlands is approximately 1 microgram of vitamin K per kilogram of body weight per day . For someone weighing 70 kilograms, this amounts to about 70 micrograms. (11) Separate guidelines apply for babies and young children.

An upper limit has never been established. This shows that vitamin K is safe with a normal diet or supplementation.

Please note : If you are using blood thinners (vitamin K antagonists, such as acenocoumarol or phenprocoumon), you should always consult your doctor or thrombosis service first, because vitamin K can affect their effectiveness. (6)

Vitamin K in babies

Babies begin life with almost no vitamin K. They receive little through the placenta, and breast milk contains too little. Therefore, all babies in the Netherlands are routinely given vitamin K supplements:

  • Immediately after birth: 1 mg (often as an injection)
  • And breastfed babies then 150 µg per day until 3 months (usually as drops)
  • For bottle-fed babies, extra K is usually not necessary, because bottle feeding is enriched with vitamin K , but it is necessary if your baby gets less than 500 ml of bottle feeding per day (3)(4)(5)

My personal advice

I personally prefer a supplement that combines vitamin K and vitamin D. This is practical because you take both at once. Vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting and, like vitamin D, helps keep your bones strong.

I also remain a fan of the nutritional foundation : add some green vegetables to your plate (or smoothie) every day and a drizzle of olive oil for better absorption. Add a piece of cheese or an egg every now and then, and you've already got a good mix of K1 and K2.

This way you combine the best of both worlds: Healthy food and a smart supplement that does exactly what it should do.

Ebrina van der Bijl - Natural Performance

Ebrina van der Bijl

Ebrina is a nutritionist with a deep commitment to healthy eating and a sustainable lifestyle, based in beautiful Portugal. Her passion for natural and organic products is at the heart of her work. With a background in Nutrition & Dietetics and experience in product development and writing, she translates complex scientific information into practical advice for a balanced lifestyle.

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Sources used

  1. Nutrition Center. (n.d.). Vitamin K for babies (JGZ information and advice). Retrieved August 27, 2025, from https://www.voedingscentrum.nl
  2. Nutrition Center. (n.d.). Vitamin K (function, sources, recommendations, and claims). Retrieved August 27, 2025, from https://www.voedingscentrum.nl
  3. IJland, MM, Pereira, RR, & Cornelissen, EA (2007). Incidence of late vitamin K deficiency bleeding in newborns in the Netherlands in 2005: evaluation of the current guideline. European Journal Of Pediatrics, 167(2), 165–169. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-007-0443-x
  4. Van Hasselt, P.M., De Koning, T.J., Kvist, N., De Vries, E., Lundin, C.R., Berger, R., Kimpen, J.L.L., Houwen, R.H.J., Jorgensen, M.H., & Verkade, H.J. (2008). Prevention of Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding in Breastfed Infants: Lessons From the Dutch and Danish Biliary Atresia Registries. PEDIATRICS, 121(4), e857–e863. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2007-1788
  5. Sankar, M. J., Chandrasekaran, A., Kumar, P., Thukral, A., Agarwal, R., & Paul, V. K. (2016). Vitamin K prophylaxis for prevention of vitamin K deficiency bleeding: a systematic review. Journal Of Perinatology, 36(S1), S29–S35. https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2016.30
  6. Turck, D., Bresson, J., Burlingame, B., Dean, T., Fairweather‐Tait, S., Heinonen, M., Hirsch‐Ernst, K.I., Mangelsdorf, I., McArdle, H.J., Naska, A., Nowicka, G., Pentieva, K., Sanz, Y., Siani, A., Sjödin, A., Stern, M., Tomé, D., Van Loveren, H., Vinceti, M., . . . Neuhäuser‐Berthold, M. (2017). Dietary reference values ​​for vitamin K. EFSA Journal, 15(5). https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4780
  7. Yan, H., Chen, Y., Zhu, H., Huang, W., Cai, X., Li, D., Lv, Y., Si-Zhao, N., Zhou, H., Luo, F., Zhang, W., & Li, The Relationship Among Intestinal Bacteria, Vitamin K and Response of Vitamin K Antagonist: A Review of Evidence and Potential Mechanism. Frontiers in Medicine, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.829304
  8. Eden, R. E., Daley, SF, & Coviello, J. M. (2023, September 8). Vitamin K deficiency. StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536983/
  9. Yan, H., Chen, Y., Zhu, H., Huang, W., Cai, X., Li, D., Lv, Y., Si-Zhao, N., Zhou, H., Luo, F., Zhang, W., & Li, The Relationship Among Intestinal Bacteria, Vitamin K and Response of Vitamin K Antagonist: A Review of Evidence and Potential Mechanism. Frontiers in Medicine, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.829304
  10. Urano, T., Shiraki, M., Ouchi, Y., Inoue, S., & Sasaki, T. (2015). Bone turnover and vitamin K status in anorexia nervosa. Clinical Nutrition , 34(3), 443–448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2014.05.002
  11. Health Council (2017). Vitamin K for infants. Retrieved on August 27, 2025, from https://www.healthcouncil.nl/documents/advisory-reports/2017/04/11/vitamin-k-for-infants
  12. Sato, T., Schurgers, L. J., & Uenishi, K. (2012). Comparison of menaquinone-4 and menaquinone-7 bioavailability in healthy women. Nutrition Journal, 11(1), 93. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-11-93
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