Vitamin K
What it is · too little · too much · daily reference values by country
For reference only. This is not a diagnosis or a prescription. If you have concerns, talk to a doctor or pharmacist.
What it is
- Vitamin K is involved in helping blood clotting proteins (clotting factors) do their job so that blood can clot. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
- Vitamin K represents a family of fat-soluble compounds that plays an important role in blood coagulation and bone mineralisation. (European Food Safety Authority)
Getting too little
- The typical signs when vitamin K is lacking are slow blood clotting and signs of bleeding. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
- Low vitamin K intake is associated with a tendency to bleeding due to a low activity of blood coagulation factors. (European Food Safety Authority)
Getting too much
- No toxicity from a high intake of vitamin K has been reported, so no upper intake level has been set. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
Daily reference values by country
Korea · US · EU — tap to open
These tables are daily reference values for healthy people. Numbers in the text above are a different kind of value, and you cannot diagnose yourself from them. How to read RDA, AI and UL
Korea — 2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (Ministry of Health and Welfare)
| Group | AI |
|---|---|
| 0–5 months | 4 μg |
| 6–11 months | 6 μg |
| 1–2 years | 25 μg |
| 3–5 years | 30 μg |
| Male · 6–8 years | 40 μg |
| Male · 9–11 years | 55 μg |
| Male · 12–14 years | 70 μg |
| Male · 15–18 years | 80 μg |
| Male · 19–29 years | 75 μg |
| Male · 30–49 years | 75 μg |
| Male · 50–64 years | 75 μg |
| Male · 65–74 years | 75 μg |
| Male · 75+ years | 75 μg |
| Female · 6–8 years | 40 μg |
| Female · 9–11 years | 55 μg |
| Female · 12–14 years | 65 μg |
| Female · 15–18 years | 65 μg |
| Female · 19–29 years | 65 μg |
| Female · 30–49 years | 65 μg |
| Female · 50–64 years | 65 μg |
| Female · 65–74 years | 65 μg |
| Female · 75+ years | 65 μg |
| Pregnancy | +0 μg |
| Lactation | +0 μg |
US — NASEM (National Academies)
| Group | AI | UL |
|---|---|---|
| 0–6 months | 2 μg | — |
| 7–12 months | 2.5 μg | — |
| 1–3 years | 30 μg | — |
| 4–8 years | 55 μg | — |
| Male · 9–13 years | 60 μg | — |
| Male · 14–18 years | 75 μg | — |
| Male · 19–30 years | 120 μg | — |
| Male · 31–50 years | 120 μg | — |
| Male · 51–70 years | 120 μg | — |
| Male · 71+ years | 120 μg | — |
| Female · 9–13 years | 60 μg | — |
| Female · 14–18 years | 75 μg | — |
| Female · 19–30 years | 90 μg | — |
| Female · 31–50 years | 90 μg | — |
| Female · 51–70 years | 90 μg | — |
| Female · 71+ years | 90 μg | — |
| Pregnancy · 14–18 years | 75 μg | — |
| Pregnancy · 19–30 years | 90 μg | — |
| Pregnancy · 31–50 years | 90 μg | — |
| Lactation · 14–18 years | 75 μg | — |
| Lactation · 19–30 years | 90 μg | — |
| Lactation · 31–50 years | 90 μg | — |
EU — EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)
| Group | AI | UL |
|---|---|---|
| 7–11 months | 10 μg | |
| 1–3 years | 12 μg | |
| 4–6 years | 20 μg | |
| 7–10 years | 30 μg | |
| 11–14 years | 45 μg | |
| 15–17 years | 65 μg | |
| 18+ years | 70 μg | — |
| Pregnancy · 18–60 years | 70 μg | |
| Lactation · 18–60 years | 70 μg | |
| Pregnancy · 18+ years | — | |
| Lactation · 18+ years | — |
Sources
- EFSA DRV Finder (Dietary Reference Values) · checked 2026-10-07
- EFSA DRV Finder — nutrient descriptions · checked 2026-10-07
- EFSA Overview on Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (v11, August 2025) · checked 2026-10-07
- 2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans, Vol. 2: Vitamins (Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare · The Korean Nutrition Society; in Korean) · checked 2026-10-07
- 2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans — summary tables (Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare · The Korean Nutrition Society; in Korean) · checked 2026-10-07
- NASEM Dietary Reference Intakes summary tables (Appendix J, 2019) · checked 2026-10-07
The sentences are plain-language summaries of official sources written by SuppleBoard. Each English sentence was checked against the source text by an AI reviewer before publishing. The agencies do not endorse this site. Published 2026-10-16.