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Dietary variety and decline in lean mass and physical performance in community-dwelling older Japanese: A 4-year follow-up study

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The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Objectives

To examine associations of dietary variety with changes in lean mass and physical performance during a 4-year period in an elderly Japanese population. Design: Four-year prospective study.

Setting

The Hatoyama Cohort Study and Kusatsu Longitudinal Study, Japan.

Participants

935 community-dwelling Japanese aged 65 years or older.

Measurements

Dietary variety was assessed using a 10-item food frequency questionnaire. Body composition was determined by multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis, and physical performance (grip strength and usual gait speed) was measured in surveys at baseline and 4 years later. Longitudinal analysis included only participants who were originally in the upper three quartiles of lean body mass, appendicular lean mass, grip strength, and usual gait speed. The outcome measures were decline in lean body mass, appendicular lean mass, grip strength, and usual gait speed, defined as a decrease to the lowest baseline quartile level at the 4-year follow-up survey. Associations of dietary variety with the outcome measures were examined by logistic regression analysis adjusted for potential confounders.

Results

In the fully adjusted model, the odds ratios for decline in grip strength and usual gait speed were 0.43 (95% confidence interval, 0.19–0.99) and 0.43 (confidence interval, 0.19–0.99), respectively, for participants in the highest category of dietary variety score as compared with those in the lowest category. Dietary variety was not significantly associated with changes in lean body mass or appendicular lean mass.

Conclusion

Among older adults, greater dietary variety may help maintain physical performance, such as grip strength and usual gait speed, but not lean mass.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food and Nutritional Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8502, Japan

    Yuri Yokoyama

  2. Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan

    Yuri Yokoyama, M. Nishi, H. Murayama, H. Amano, Y. Taniguchi, Y. Nofuji, M. Narita, E. Matsuo, S. Seino & S. Shinkai

  3. Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan

    Yuri Yokoyama

  4. Department of Food and Nutritional Science, Faculty of Applied Bio-Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan

    Y. Kawano

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  1. Yuri Yokoyama
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Correspondence to Yuri Yokoyama.

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Yokoyama, Y., Nishi, M., Murayama, H. et al. Dietary variety and decline in lean mass and physical performance in community-dwelling older Japanese: A 4-year follow-up study. J Nutr Health Aging 21, 11–16 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-016-0726-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-016-0726-x

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