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Warfarin and Green Vegetables
18 Answers
My Mum takes Warfarin as she suffers from AF.
She has just undergone her annual MOT and is a little anaemic; which surprised me as we have always, as a family, eaten the sort of foodstuffs which ought to provide her with sufficient iron intake.
She read a newspaper article (some while ago) by an eminent medical someone who appears to have advised people on Warfarin to *avoid* dark green veg (just the sort of iron-providing foodstuff she has relied on).
I have been reading up on this this morning, and it appears that whilst it seems the advice is correct, she may have taken it to mean *stop eating* rather than *reduce the amount*.
What would be a sensible, allowable amount of dark green veg to have which would both be within Warfarin-allowed tolerances and sufficient to provide her with a good iron intake?
Thankyou.
She has just undergone her annual MOT and is a little anaemic; which surprised me as we have always, as a family, eaten the sort of foodstuffs which ought to provide her with sufficient iron intake.
She read a newspaper article (some while ago) by an eminent medical someone who appears to have advised people on Warfarin to *avoid* dark green veg (just the sort of iron-providing foodstuff she has relied on).
I have been reading up on this this morning, and it appears that whilst it seems the advice is correct, she may have taken it to mean *stop eating* rather than *reduce the amount*.
What would be a sensible, allowable amount of dark green veg to have which would both be within Warfarin-allowed tolerances and sufficient to provide her with a good iron intake?
Thankyou.
Answers
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If she eats it on a regular basis, she can eat any amount at all. You probably know it's to do with Vitamin K, a vitamin that helps blood clotting. If she eats a regular amount, the warfarin will adjust to conteract it (ie she will be asked to take a higher dose)
Anaemia doesn't necessarily have anything to do with iron though (although iron-deficiency anaemia does) There are other reasons for anaemia which will have nothing to do with iron intake at all
Anaemia doesn't necessarily have anything to do with iron though (although iron-deficiency anaemia does) There are other reasons for anaemia which will have nothing to do with iron intake at all
I`ve just had a quick look at netdoctor. Apparently the clotting factor in blood is reliant on vitamin K which is where the green vegetables come in. Too much vitamin K can conflict with Warfarin. It says on there that green veg should be limited to about 500g per day. Maybe your mother could find iron from other sources that don`t contain so much vitamin K
Very suspect advice to stop taking green vegetables altogether; they do contain Vitamin K, but as Bednobs says allowances can be made in the dosage to take this into account.
If/When your mother starts taking green vegetables again, it will need to be under medical supervision, as her bloods will need to be monitored closely and adjustments made to the Warfarin dose in this period.
She should take regular daily amounts of vegetables, and not, say, take none for five days, and then large amounts for the next two days.
As to the anaemia it is possible that if she has been avoiding vegetables all together, she could possibly be folate deficient, but again this needs to be confirmed by the relevant blood tests.
She should really visit her GP to discuss all this.
If/When your mother starts taking green vegetables again, it will need to be under medical supervision, as her bloods will need to be monitored closely and adjustments made to the Warfarin dose in this period.
She should take regular daily amounts of vegetables, and not, say, take none for five days, and then large amounts for the next two days.
As to the anaemia it is possible that if she has been avoiding vegetables all together, she could possibly be folate deficient, but again this needs to be confirmed by the relevant blood tests.
She should really visit her GP to discuss all this.
That's what I thought.
500g of dark green veg approximates to about 1 old-fashioned 'lb' !! That's still a lot of scope for one small-ish old lady to consume on a daily basis, so to have completely stopped strikes me that she has misunderstooderated the article.
Once more, thank you all for responding. :o)
500g of dark green veg approximates to about 1 old-fashioned 'lb' !! That's still a lot of scope for one small-ish old lady to consume on a daily basis, so to have completely stopped strikes me that she has misunderstooderated the article.
Once more, thank you all for responding. :o)
No. I think the blood tests were part of the annual MOT and threw up the 'iron deficiency'. It came as a surprise to her.
My Dad was slightly 'calcium deficient', too..........and this for the man who is usually to be found with a chunk of cheese in his hand!!!
Mum is losing weight via a Weight-watchers programme and I wonder if that may be having an impact?
Unfortunately, the Warfarin clinic here is like a conveyor belt and she doesn't have sufficient time to ask the relevant questions of anyone. I am not sure that she asks her GP the correct questions when she has cause to visit him, either.
My Dad was slightly 'calcium deficient', too..........and this for the man who is usually to be found with a chunk of cheese in his hand!!!
Mum is losing weight via a Weight-watchers programme and I wonder if that may be having an impact?
Unfortunately, the Warfarin clinic here is like a conveyor belt and she doesn't have sufficient time to ask the relevant questions of anyone. I am not sure that she asks her GP the correct questions when she has cause to visit him, either.
I think it might be on the unusual side for an MOT to ask for "iron levels", more likely full blood count which would pinpoint anaemia, but not the cause (ie iron deficiency or not) most people see anaemia as interchangeable with iron deficiency, but its not necessarily the case. (for example, someone who has thinned blood might be more prone to a bleed which would bring the red blood cell count down, but not because of irn deficiency).
Parent are annoying aren't they? My mothe rin law was recently diagnosed with something after 18 months of breathlessness, and can't remember what it is!
Parent are annoying aren't they? My mothe rin law was recently diagnosed with something after 18 months of breathlessness, and can't remember what it is!
Is your Dad getting enough Vitamin D
'Calcium is a key building block for your bones, while vitamin D is the "key" that unlocks the door to your bones and allows them to absorb calcium', if you don't get enough D, it won't matter how much calcium you get, because your bones can't absorb it properly.
'Calcium is a key building block for your bones, while vitamin D is the "key" that unlocks the door to your bones and allows them to absorb calcium', if you don't get enough D, it won't matter how much calcium you get, because your bones can't absorb it properly.
Once again, there is a tendency to " go over the top" with drug and diet interactions. Usual and normal amounts of green vegetables should have no effect on the clotting mechanism although I do agree with slaney.
A simple blood film without further investigations should separate iron deficiency anaemia from other causes of anaemia.
I wouldnt worry too much about Sunday lunch.
A simple blood film without further investigations should separate iron deficiency anaemia from other causes of anaemia.
I wouldnt worry too much about Sunday lunch.
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