Deficient dietary vitamin K intake among elderly nursing home residents in Hong Kong

There is strong evidence supporting the importance of vitamin K in bone health and the aetiological role of vitamin K deficiency in osteoporosis. In view of the common occurrence of osteoporosis among older subjects in Hong Kong, we hake studied the dietary vitamin K intakes in 100 residents of a nursing home (43 men, 57 women: median age 81.0 years) and 88 free-living subjects attending a day care centre (13 men, 75 women; median age 71.5 years). The subjects were interviewed and the average vitamin K intake in the preceding week was estimated, using a diet recall questionnaire modified from our previous surveys of dietary patterns in local Chinese people, The median vitamin K intake was much lower in nursing home residents than in free-living subjects (4.50 vs 488.09 mug/day or 0.13 vs 8.74 mug/kg/day, P < 0.001). An intake that was below the recommended daily intake was far more common among nursing home residents (86.0 vs 1 P < 0.001), Among nursing home residents, there was a negative correlation between age and vitamin K intake (r = -0.217. P = 0.030), but there was a positive correlation between body freight and vitamin K intake (r = 0.244 P = 0.015). No such relationship was seen among free-living subjects, Elderly nursing home residents in this study generally had a poor dietary vitamin K intake and might therefore be predisposed to osteoporosis, The importance of green leafy vegetables as a rich source of vitamin K should be emphasised.