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Get the Coumadin Cookbook!

Coumadin Book

This indispensable book includes:

• A primer on WHAT a Mediterranean-style diet is and WHY it's great for you
• 95+ delicious Coumadin safe recipes
• Information about managing your diet on Coumadin
• Ingredient and cooking tips throughout the book
• Complete Nutrition Facts, including Vitamin K content, for each recipe

Buy the paperback | Buy the eBook (PDF document)

Questions about ordering? Click here to read the FAQ.

How to order by mail: We are happy to accept personal checks drawn on a US bank for delivery within the United States only. Download the form to order by mail. We regret that we are unable to process orders by phone or ship printed books outside the United States.

Note: This is a revised and updated version of Dr. Harlan's The Dr. Gourmet Diet for Coumadin Users. These are the same recipes with updated Nutrition Information, with the addition of information on a Mediterranean-style diet.

How Much Vitamin K is in...?

Find out the exact amount of Vitamin K (in micrograms) of almost a thousand common foods! Listed both alphabetically and then in order of the amount of Vitamin K in the food, this list will help you know exactly how much Vitamin K you're eating. Just $4.95 for the eBook (PDF) or $12.95 for the paperback. Get your copy now!

It's easy to get answers about health and nutrition! Just send your question by email to [email protected] and Dr. Harlan will respond to selected questions of general interest. Answers will be posted in the Ask Dr. Gourmet newsletter (sign up now!) and archived in the Ask Dr. Gourmet section of the website.

Please note that the Ask Dr. Gourmet feature is restricted to questions regarding food and nutrition. Due to the many questions we receive, not all questions may be answered. For more specific questions about your individual health, please contact your doctor. About Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP, CCMS | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy


 
 

Ask Dr. Gourmet

Is it safe to eat cranberries while on Coumadin (warfarin)?

My husband went on Coumadin this week and one of the doctors told him, "NO cranberries." When we read how low the vitamin K is in cranberries, we questioned this.

The nurse researched it for us and was told that cranberries kill some type of bacteria in your body and that the bacteria affects the Coumadin. Is this correct?

Dr. Gourmet Says...

fresh cranberries and a glass of cranberry juice

Well, my standard answer for a long time was to send folks to an article written for my website back in 2006: Should you avoid cranberry juice on Coumadin (warfarin)?

At the time there wasn't very good science investigating the issue of an interaction between cranberry juice and Coumadin (warfarin). The good news is that we now have pretty good evidence that it's OK to drink cranberry juice.

The feeling has been that somehow cranberry juice interacted with the cytochrome P450 system of enzymes. These enzymes are critical to helping the body clear itself of chemicals such as medications we take. A group of researchers in Boston looked at whether cranberry juice, brewed tea, grape juice or placebo would have an effect on the specific P450 enzyme responsible for clearing warfarin from the body. They used another drug, fluconazole, as a control medication. (Clin Pharmacol Ther 2006;79:125-33.)

Guess what? No effect was seen on the clearance of medications in the body by any of the test substances. Although there was some effect in the test tube with grape juice and tea (not cranberry juice) this wasn't seen when tested on humans.

In another study, a group had ten healthy volunteers drink cranberry juice or water each day for ten days. They tested three different drugs, including warfarin, to see if there was any difference in the drug concentrations or the INR. Again, no difference. (Clin Pharmacol Ther 2007;81:833-39.)

Those faithful readers who follow Dr. Gourmet know that I believe in the importance of actual science before making claims. When it comes to something like Coumadin, we were right to be cautious because of the case reports. We now have evidence that it's OK for you to drink cranberry juice (and eat cranberries) while taking warfarin.

Thanks for writing,

Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP, CCMS
Dr. Gourmet

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