title: Deficient dietary vitamin K intake among elderly nursing home residents in Hong Kong.
abstract: 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 have 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 microg/day or 0.13 vs 8.74 microg/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 11.4%, 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 weight 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Extended Care, Tai Po Hospital, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Samuel L S
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Tse
authors.forename: Thomas Y K
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Daphne M Y
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Albert Y K
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Timothy C Y
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Kwok
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001835:Body Weight; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014812:Vitamin K; D014813:Vitamin K Deficiency
chemical_list: D014812:Vitamin K