Introduction:

The aims of the present study were to estimate the vitamin K1 content of the menu offered in a nursing home and its adequacy to the recommendations, to determine its dietary sources and to classify the dishes on the menu.

Methodology:

Cross-sectional descriptive study. The dietary intake of vitamin K1 from the dietary menu offered in a public nursing home (Valladolid, Spain) was studied. The dietary study was performed by estimating the theoretical dietary intake of the basal menu offered during 14 consecutive days consumed by 138 elderly individuals. Vitamin K1 intake was estimated using data from the food composition table of Ortega-Anta et al., 2010.

Results:

The mean vitamin K1 intake was 224 (standard deviation, 128 µg/day) with a very similar amount between weeks and a great variation between days (97-586 µg/day). The main source of this micronutrient was vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables (chard, cabbage and lettuce). The vitamin K1 content of the menu offered was more than three times higher (320%) than the adequate intake recommended by EFSA and more than double (249-280%) the AESAN dietary intakes. The food groups that contributed most vitamin K1 to the diet were vegetables (41.7%) and fruits (28.6%). Based on the Nutrition Care Manual classification, dishes were categorised into 4 free of vitamin K1, 23 with low, 13 with moderate and 4 with a high amount of this micronutrient.

Conclusions:

In the menu offered in this nursing home, the estimated dietary intake of vitamin K1 was between two and three times higher than recommended (AESAN and EFSA). In the long term, high intakes of vitamin K1 could have health benefits associated with age-related diseases.

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