Menadione
Menadione is no longer used in human dietary supplements or fortified foods due to documented hepatic toxicity in laboratory studies and historical reports of hemolytic anemia in infants. It remains used only in animal feed under FDA regulation.
What it is
Synthetic vitamin K3, a fat-soluble naphthoquinone used historically as a vitamin K supplement source.
Vitamin K source (animal feed; not human food).
Why it's flagged
- hepatotoxicity
- hemolytic anemia (historical)
- not approved for human dietary use
What regulators actually say
"It was shown to damage hepatic cells in laboratory studies conducted during the 1980s and 1990s, so it is no longer used in dietary supplements or fortified foods."
Regulatory status
United States — FDA
Not approved for human food use; menadione sodium bisulfite complex permitted in animal feed under 21 CFR 573.620.
European Union — EFSA
Not authorized as a vitamin source for human food fortification or supplements in the EU.
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