Is my husband’s Coumadin dosage stable because he eats a big salad every day?

My husband has been on warfarin for almost 15 years, and eats a huge salad each day. His Coumadin rarely needs to be regulated other than the dose he is currently on. I have become very concerned that the medication dose could be lowered if he stops eating the salads each day.

I serve all the K no no's regularly. Should I stop? He was told years ago that since greens are a regular part of his diet he should continue eating as always.

The Health meets Food Team Says...

While limiting Vitamin K is one strategy for keeping the INR stable while taking Coumadin® (warfarin), being consistent is just as important.

By having a salad every day, your husband is getting the same amount of Vitamin K every day from the greens, so the intake is consistent. This allows your husband's doctor to adjust his Coumadin dose relative to that stable intake of Vitamin K. This is a great way to get healthy greens and take Coumadin at the same time. As long as his salad consumption is uniform he should continue to do as well as he has in the last 15 years.

There is some research now that shows eating too little Vitamin K can have the same effect on one's INR as eating too much or being inconsistent. By having a similar amount of Vitamin K in the salad he eats each day, your husband may have contributed to his INR being so stable.

I would not change your husband's diet if his INR remains stable.

Thanks for writing.