What you eat and drink can affect warfarin. The most important thing is to keep your diet stable. If you make any changes to your regular diet, tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
On this page, you can find the following information:
Foods and juices
Warfarin interferes with how your liver uses vitamin K taken from your diet. Some foods are rich in vitamin K and these can affect how warfarin works. As part of a healthy balanced diet, you can continue to eat foods that contain vitamin K in moderate amounts. You don’t need to change your regular eating habits. There is no “correct” amount of vitamin K that you should eat. But, it is important to avoid large changes in the amount of food you eat containing vitamin K.
It is also important to consider the amount of vitamin K you are eating in situations when your diet may change, such as during illness, travel, fad diets, hospitalisation and after surgery. Before making any changes to your diet talk to your health professional.
| Foods that are rich in vitamin K | |
Vegetables
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Fruit
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Alcohol
Alcohol affects your liver. If you are taking warfarin, it is fine to drink small amounts of alcohol. Generally, 1 to 2 standard drinks per day are considered a safe limit. Having more than this can increase your risk of bleeding. Avoid drinking large amounts of alcohol over a short time. Read more about what is a standard drink.
Herbal or 'natural' products
Some herbal or 'natural' products are known to have an effect on warfarin.
Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking herbal preparations or dietary supplements. Let them know if you are already taking supplements when warfarin is prescribed for you.
| Examples of herbal or 'natural' products known to have an effect on warfarin | |
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Multivitamins
These are fine to take, but check the label and choose a brand without vitamin K.
Learn more
Warfarin and your diet Heart Foundation, NZ