You Have Too Much Vitamin K If This Happens To You

Nutritionists recommend eating raw spinach, kale, leafy greens, and other foods rich in vitamin K. This fat-soluble nutrient plays a crucial role in blood clotting, bone growth, and heart health, explains Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. But having too much vitamin K in your system can be just as harmful as having too little.

Vitamin K refers to a group of essential vitamins that perform various functions in the body. According to Medical News Today, vitamin K comes in two main forms: phylloquinone, or vitamin K1, and menaquinone, or vitamin K2. Phylloquinone is generally consumed from plants and converted to menaquinone in the large intestine. It is then absorbed in the small intestine and stored in the body.

It can be really difficult to keep all the different nutrients our body needs straight. Two of the easiest to confuse are vitamin K and potassium. That's because potassium's symbol on the periodic table of elements is a "K," leading many to believe it's the same as vitamin K, according to Healthline. However, the truth couldn't be more different.

You probably know about the importance of getting your vitamins. Of the 13 essential vitamins, vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble. The remaining vitamins — vitamin C and the B vitamins (B6, B12, biotin, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and thiamine) — are water-soluble (via Verywell Health). You might take vitamin supplements every day without giving much thought to it, but did you know there are some vitamins you shouldn't take together?

If you start your day by taking a multivitamin, you're not alone. According to the National Institutes of Health, about a third of Americans regularly take a multivitamin. Among adults, women are more likely than men to take one, and multivitamin use increases with age. Multivitamins have been available since the 1940s, and over the decades, more and more Americans have turned to these convenient little pills.