First of all, thank you so very much for your thorough and helpful information on Vitamin K foods that interact with Coumadin.
I am a Coumadin user. Recently one of my physicians suggested that I take a dietary supplement: "Dr. Sears ZONE - Metabolic Digestive Support" on the condition that I could find out if the ingredients in the supplement would interact with Coumadin. Usually, I go to the pharmacist for such information. This time, I was told that the ingredients in the supplement are not in their system and they cannot help me, except to verify that the Green Tea Extract would change my Protime.
I am seeking your help. The following are the active ingredients in the supplement:
"Green Tea Extract - 250mg; Bromelain (600 GDU) 600mg; Querceint - 50 mg; M.E. Complex 3000mg. In a proprietary blend of papain, lipase, pancreatin, ajowan extract, fennel extract, lactase, multi enzyme complex. Other ingredients: Gelatin, microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate and silica."
Dr. Gourmet Says...
I would be very careful about consuming any product that contains Green Tea Extract. While it appears that green tea itself can be healthy, this may not be the case with the extract. Here's a case that certainly brings into question how much problem this could be:
http://www.drgourmet.com/askdrgourmet/coumadin-greentea.shtml
At the same time we have no idea how such extracts might affect Coumadin® (warfarin) levels and your INR. Green tea leaves have a lot of Vitamin K, but brewed green tea does not. As a supplement, this product is not overseen by the FDA with the same care as medications, so there's no way to know with any certainty what is in the product you are purchasing. It's best to avoid all supplements when you are on Coumadin for that very reason.
Thanks for your nice words about the Dr. Gourmet web site.
Thanks for writing,
Timothy S. Harlan, M.D.
Dr. Gourmet
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How Much Vitamin K is in....?
There's an easy way to find out about the nutrition content of any food. Just use The Dr. Gourmet Diet Plan Software.
Just register to use the software, then click the Recipe Box tab. The ingredient database includes over 7,000 ingredients and will show you the nutritional information for those ingredients - including Vitamin K. Use the Food Diary section to help you track your daily Vitamin K intake along with calories and other nutrients. Try it now!