Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Dietary Patterns and Muscle Mass, Muscle Strength, and Physical Performance in the Elderly: A 3-Year Cohort Study

  • Published:
The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Objectives

Nutritional support effectively prevents and treats sarcopenia; however, the influence of overall dietary patterns on sarcopenia parameters is less investigated. This study aimed to determine the association between adherence to Mediterranean-style diet (MD), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top (JFG-ST), and modified JFG-ST (mJFG-ST) and muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance in community-dwelling Japanese elderly.

Design and settings

This prospective cohort study recruited individuals aged over 60 years from a community college in Nagoya, Japan.

Participants and Measurements

A total of 666 participants were followed up annually from 2014 to 2017. Demographic data, anthropometric measurements, and sarcopenia parameters including walking speed (WS), hand grip strength in the dominant hand (HGS), and skeletal mass index (SMI) were recorded. Self-recall dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire comprising 29 food groups. Adherence to MD, DASH, JFG-ST, and mJFG-ST was determined by tertiles.

Results

At baseline, the mean age of all participants (56.5% women) was 69.4±4.4 years. WS, HGS, and SMI were 1.4±0.2 (m/s), 28.9±8.1 (kg), and 6.7±1.0 (kg/m2), respectively. In longitudinal analysis, participants with higher JFG-ST adherence scores were more likely to have higher SMI (Q3 vs. Q1: mean difference, 0.048; p=0.04) after adjustment, and its benefits were more evident in men (Q2 vs. Q1: mean difference, 0.098; p=0.047; Q3 vs. Q1: mean difference, 0.091; p=0.017) than in women. WS and HGS were not associated with any type of dietary pattern.

Conclusions

Adherence to JFG-ST was positively associated with SMI in Japanese community-dwelling elderly adults aged over 60 years, specifically in men. The country-specific dietary recommendations are required to be developed for sarcopenia prevention.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
Figure 2C

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Anker SD, Morley JE, and Von Haehling S. Welcome to the ICD-10 code for sarcopenia. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2016;7(5):512–514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Bahat G, Bauer J, Boirie Y, et al. Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Age Ageing. 2019;48(1):16–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Cruz-Jentoft AJ and Sayer AA. Sarcopenia. The Lancet. 2019;393(10191):2636–2646.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Chen LK, Woo J, Assantachai P, Auyeung TW, et al. Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia: 2019 Consensus Update on Sarcopenia Diagnosis and Treatment. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2020;21(3):300–307 e2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Kim H, Hirano H, Edahiro A, Ohara Y, et al. Sarcopenia: Prevalence and associated factors based on different suggested definitions in community-dwelling older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2016; 16 Suppl 1: 110–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Bloom I, Shand C, Cooper C, Robinson S, et al. Diet Quality and Sarcopenia in Older Adults: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2018; 10(3).

  7. Schwingshackl L, Bogensberger B, and Hoffmann G. Diet Quality as Assessed by the Healthy Eating Index, Alternate Healthy Eating Index, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Score, and Health Outcomes: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2018;118(1):74–100.e11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Granic A, Sayer AA, and Robinson SM. Dietary Patterns, Skeletal Muscle Health, and Sarcopenia in Older Adults. Nutrients. 2019; 11(4).

  9. Chan R, Leung J, and Woo J. A Prospective Cohort Study to Examine the Association Between Dietary Patterns and Sarcopenia in Chinese Community-Dwelling Older People in Hong Kong. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2016;17(4):336–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Yoshiike N, Hayashi F, Takemi Y, Mizoguchi K, et al. A new food guide in Japan: the Japanese food guide Spinning Top. Nutr Rev. 2007;65(4):149–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Kuriyama N, Murakami K, Livingstone MBE, Okubo H, et al. Development of a food-based diet quality score for Japanese: associations of the score with nutrient intakes in young, middle-aged and older Japanese women. J Nutr Sci. 2016;5:e41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Oba S, Nagata C, Nakamura K, Fujii K, et al. Diet based on the Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top and subsequent mortality among men and women in a general Japanese population. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109(9):1540–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Kurotani K, Akter S, Kashino I, Goto A, et al. Quality of diet and mortality among Japanese men and women: Japan Public Health Center based prospective study. BMJ. 2016;352:i1209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Murakami K, Livingstone MBE, and Sasaki S. Diet quality scores in relation to metabolic risk factors in Japanese adults: a cross-sectional analysis from the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey, Japan. Eur J Nutr. 2018.

  15. Arakawa Martins B, Visvanathan R, Barrie H, Huang CH, et al. Frailty prevalence using Frailty Index, associated factors and level of agreement among frailty tools in a cohort of Japanese older adults. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2019;84:103908.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Matsushita E, Okada K, Ito Y, Satake S, et al. Characteristics of physical prefrailty among Japanese healthy older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2017;17(10):1568–1574.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Baecke JA, Burema J, and Frijters JE. A short questionnaire for the measurement of habitual physical activity in epidemiological studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 1982;36(5):936–42.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Ono R, Hirata S, Yamada M, Nishiyama T, et al. Reliability and validity of the Baecke physical activity questionnaire in adult women with hip disorders. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2007;8:61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Charlson ME, Pompei P, Ales KL, and Mackenzie CR. A new method of classifying prognostic comorbidity in longitudinal studies: development and validation. J Chronic Dis. 1987;40(5):373–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Cereda E. Mini nutritional assessment. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2012;15(1):29–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Janssen I, Heymsfield SB, Baumgartner RN, and Ross R. Estimation of skeletal muscle mass by bioelectrical impedance analysis. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2000;89(2):465–71.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Maruyama K, Ikeda A, Ishihara J, Takachi R, et al. Food frequency questionnaire reproducibility for middle-aged and elderly Japanese. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2019;28(2):362–370.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Lemmens HJ, Brodsky JB, and Bernstein DP. Estimating ideal body weight—a new formula. Obes Surg. 2005;15(7):1082–3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Zeger SL, Liang KY, and Albert PS. Models for longitudinal data: a generalized estimating equation approach. Biometrics. 1988;44(4):1049–60.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Huque MH, Carlin JB, Simpson JA, and Lee KJ. A comparison of multiple imputation methods for missing data in longitudinal studies. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2018;18(1):168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Rubin DB, Multiple imputation for nonresponse in surveys. Vol. 81. 2004: John Wiley & Sons.

  27. Xu F, Cohen SA, Lofgren IE, Greene GW, et al. Relationship between Diet Quality, Physical Activity and Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults: Findings from 2007–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. J Nutr Health Aging. 2018;22(9):1072–1079.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Otsuka R, Tange C, Nishita Y, Kato Y, et al. Dietary Diversity and All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in Japanese Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Nutrients. 2020; 12(4).

  29. Otsuka R, Tange C, Tomida M, Nishita Y, et al. Dietary factors associated with the development of physical frailty in community-dwelling older adults. J Nutr Health Aging. 2019;23(1):89–95.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Benhammou S, Heras-Gonzalez L, Ibanez-Peinado D, Barcelo C, et al. Comparison of Mediterranean diet compliance between European and non-European populations in the Mediterranean basin. Appetite. 2016;107:521–526.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Tokede OA, Onabanjo TA, Yansane A, Gaziano JM, et al. Soya products and serum lipids: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Nutr. 2015;114(6):831–43.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Liu XX, Li SH, Chen JZ, Sun K, et al. Effect of soy isoflavones on blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2012;22(6):463–70.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Nagata C, Wada K, Tamura T, Konishi K, et al. Dietary soy and natto intake and cardiovascular disease mortality in Japanese adults: the Takayama study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105(2):426–431.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Kojima A, Ikehara S, Kamiya K, Kajita E, et al. Natto Intake is Inversely Associated with Osteoporotic Fracture Risk in Postmenopausal Japanese Women. J Nutr. 2019.

  35. Baglia ML, Zheng W, Li H, Yang G, et al. The association of soy food consumption with the risk of subtype of breast cancers defined by hormone receptor and HER2 status. Int J Cancer. 2016;139(4):742–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Yamaguchi M, Yamada Y, Nanri H, Nozawa Y, et al. Association between the Frequency of Protein-Rich Food Intakes and Kihon-Checklist Frailty Indices in Older Japanese Adults: The Kyoto-Kameoka Study. Nutrients. 2018; 10(1).

  37. Draganidis D, Karagounis LG, Athanailidis I, Chatzinikolaou A, et al. Inflammaging and Skeletal Muscle: Can Protein Intake Make a Difference? J Nutr. 2016; 146(10): 1940–1952.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Damanti S, Azzolino D, Roncaglione C, Arosio B, et al. Efficacy of Nutritional Interventions as Stand-Alone or Synergistic Treatments with Exercise for the Management of Sarcopenia. Nutrients. 2019;11(9):1991.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Coelho-Júnior HJ, Milano-Teixeira L, Rodrigues B, Bacurau R, et al. Relative Protein Intake and Physical Function in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. Nutrients. 2018;10(9):1330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Jia W, Li Y, Qu R, Baranowski T, et al. Automatic food detection in egocentric images using artificial intelligence technology. Public Health Nutr. 2019;22(7):1168–1179.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Chen LK, Liu LK, Woo J, Assantachai P, et al. Sarcopenia in Asia: consensus report of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2014;15(2):95–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Ishihara J, Sobue T, Yamamoto S, Sasaki S, et al. Demographics, lifestyles, health characteristics, and dietary intake among dietary supplement users in Japan. Int J Epidemiol. 2003;32(4):546–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the community volunteers for their collaborative contribution in this project and for making this study possible.

Funding

Funding resources: This work was supported by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Welfare Foundation Research Grant, Chukyo Longevity Medical and Promotion Foundation, JSPS KAKENHI (Grant Number JP 15K01733, 16K16611), and Research Fund for Longevity Science from the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Japan (Grant Number 35–11). No financial disclosures were reported by all authors. The funding body had no roles in the study design, data collection, data analysis, and interpretation, or report writing.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Healthcare and Geriatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsuruma-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, 466-8550, Japan

    C. H. Huang, B. Arakawa Martins & Masafumi Kuzuya

  2. Department of Family Medicine, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, R.O.C.

    C. H. Huang

  3. School of Medicine for International Students, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, R.O.C.

    C. H. Huang

  4. Graduate School of Nutritional Sciences, Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences, Nagoya, Japan

    K. Okada, E. Matsushita & C. Uno

  5. Section of Frailty Prevention, Department of Frailty Research, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi, Japan

    S. Satake

  6. Department of Geriatric Medicine, Hospital, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi, Japan

    S. Satake

  7. Adelaide Geriatrics Training and Research with Aged Care (G-TRAC Centre), Discipline of Medicine, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    B. Arakawa Martins

  8. National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in Frailty and Healthy Ageing, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    B. Arakawa Martins

  9. Institutes of Innovation for Future Society, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

    C. H. Huang, C. Uno & Masafumi Kuzuya

Authors
  1. C. H. Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. Okada
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E. Matsushita
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C. Uno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. S. Satake
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. B. Arakawa Martins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Masafumi Kuzuya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Masafumi Kuzuya.

Ethics declarations

Conflicts of interest: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ethical standards: The study followed the principals of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the ethical committee of the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Huang, C.H., Okada, K., Matsushita, E. et al. Dietary Patterns and Muscle Mass, Muscle Strength, and Physical Performance in the Elderly: A 3-Year Cohort Study. J Nutr Health Aging 25, 108–115 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-020-1437-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-020-1437-x

Key words

Search

Navigation