Charlotte Beaudart1,2, Médéa Locquet3,4, Mathilde Touvier5, Jean-Yves Reginster3,4, Olivier Bruyère3,4. 1. Department of Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics, University of Liège, Avenue Hippocrate 13, CHU Bât B23, 4000, Liège, Belgium. c.beaudart@uliege.be. 2. WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Aspects of Musculo-Skeletal Health and Aging, Liège, Belgium. c.beaudart@uliege.be. 3. Department of Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics, University of Liège, Avenue Hippocrate 13, CHU Bât B23, 4000, Liège, Belgium. 4. WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Aspects of Musculo-Skeletal Health and Aging, Liège, Belgium. 5. Equipe de Recherche en Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle (EREN, UMR U1153 Inserm/U1125 Inra/Cnam/Universités Paris 5, 7 et 13, Centre de Recherche en Epidémiologie et Statistiques Sorbonne Paris Cité (CRESS), Paris, France.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that a balanced nutritional intake may be useful in preventing or even reversing sarcopenia. AIM: To describe cross-sectional associations between dietary nutrient intake and sarcopenia. METHODS: Subjects recruited from the SarcoPhAge study population completed a food frequency questionnaire. The micronutrient and macronutrient intake was evaluated in both sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic participants. The Nutritional Belgian Recommendations of 2016 were used, i.e., adequate intake and estimated average requirement (EAR). For micronutrients, the prevalence of insufficient intake was estimated as the proportion of subjects whose intake was below the EAR. RESULTS: A total of 331 subjects (mean age of 74.8 ± 5.9 years, 58.9% women) had complete data and were included in this study. Among them, 51 were diagnosed with sarcopenia (15.4%). In the fully adjusted model, analyses revealed that sarcopenic subjects consumed significantly lower amounts of two macronutrients (proteins, lipids) and five micronutrients (potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamin K) than non-sarcopenic subjects (all p values < 0.005). A significantly increased prevalence of insufficiency was found for sarcopenic subjects compared to non-sarcopenic subjects for potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and vitamins E and C (all p values < 0.005). The prevalence of sarcopenic subjects who were also below the Nutritional Belgian Recommendations for protein and lipids was significantly higher than that of non-sarcopenic subjects. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenic subjects seem to consume significantly reduced amounts of many micronutrients and macronutrients compared to non-sarcopenic subjects. These results suggest that a poorly balanced diet may be associated with sarcopenia and poor musculoskeletal health, although prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.
BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that a balanced nutritional intake may be useful in preventing or even reversing sarcopenia. AIM: To describe cross-sectional associations between dietary nutrient intake and sarcopenia. METHODS: Subjects recruited from the SarcoPhAge study population completed a food frequency questionnaire. The micronutrient and macronutrient intake was evaluated in both sarcopenic and non-sarcopenicparticipants. The Nutritional Belgian Recommendations of 2016 were used, i.e., adequate intake and estimated average requirement (EAR). For micronutrients, the prevalence of insufficient intake was estimated as the proportion of subjects whose intake was below the EAR. RESULTS: A total of 331 subjects (mean age of 74.8 ± 5.9 years, 58.9% women) had complete data and were included in this study. Among them, 51 were diagnosed with sarcopenia (15.4%). In the fully adjusted model, analyses revealed that sarcopenic subjects consumed significantly lower amounts of two macronutrients (proteins, lipids) and five micronutrients (potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamin K) than non-sarcopenic subjects (all p values < 0.005). A significantly increased prevalence of insufficiency was found for sarcopenic subjects compared to non-sarcopenic subjects for potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and vitamins E and C (all p values < 0.005). The prevalence of sarcopenic subjects who were also below the Nutritional Belgian Recommendations for protein and lipids was significantly higher than that of non-sarcopenic subjects. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenic subjects seem to consume significantly reduced amounts of many micronutrients and macronutrients compared to non-sarcopenic subjects. These results suggest that a poorly balanced diet may be associated with sarcopenia and poor musculoskeletal health, although prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.