Can You Eat Beets When Taking Blood-Thinning Medicine?

The deep-red color of some beets can show up in your urine if you eat them and might make you think you have blood in your urine. This is particularly alarming if you use a blood-thinning medication because pink, red, or brown urine can be a sign of harmful side effects, according to the American Heart Association and Cleveland Clinic.

The good news is that this side effect of eating beets is not harmful, and beets generally are considered a healthy addition to your diet. But beets do contain some vitamin K, which helps blood clot, and niacin, which itself may interact with some drugs. It may be worth speaking with your doctor if you are on blood thinners and are experiencing potential complications.

Types of Blood Thinners

According to MedlinePlus, your doctor may prescribe blood-thinning medication to treat issues that include:

• Heart and blood diseases
• Heart valve replacement
• Blood clot risks, especially after surgery
• Congenital heart defects
• Atrial fibrillation, or an abnormal heart rhythm

There are two types of blood-thinning medications:

• Antiplatelets These prevent blood platelets from sticking together, or clotting.
• Anticoagulants These medications, typically warfarin (Jantoven) or heparin, target the proteins in your blood that help blood clot.

There is little to no research indicating that antiplatelets like aspirin interact with vitamin K. Both play different parts in the clotting process.

The type of anticoagulant you are taking, however, may present a risk for interactions.

Warfarin

Warfarin is an oral medication that inhibits vitamin K from acting to clot blood.

Beets do contain a very small amount of vitamin K, according to the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Beet greens, however, are high in vitamin K, according to University of Iowa Health Care, as are collard greens, kale, and spinach. Eating too much of them can make warfarin less effective.

Beets also contain niacin, or vitamin B3. Niacin alone can make the effect of warfarin stronger, according to StatPearls, which can increase the risk of bleeding.

A cup of beets, however, contains less than half a millgram (mg) of niacin, according to the USDA. Additional niacin may be a concern if you are taking niacin supplements, not niacin alone as a food component.

Heparin

Heparin is an intravenous medication that prevents blood from clotting. It binds to different proteins than warfarin and works differently than that medication.

According to the Mayo Clinic, beets do not have any known interactions with heparin. Avocados, however, do.

Before adjusting your diet in any way, be sure to consult your healthcare professional about what changes may be appropriate for your situation.