Frequency of Balanced-Meal Consumption and Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Japanese: A Cross-Sectional Study

Association between milk consumption in middle age and frailty in later life: The Aichi Workers' cohort study

AIM

Several studies have shown that dairy consumption in old age is effective in preventing frailty. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the association between milk consumption during middle age and the development of frailty in old age. Therefore, we carried out an investigation to explore the association between milk consumption during middle age and development of frailty examined after over 15 years of follow up in a long-term cohort study in Japan.

METHODS

We studied 265 participants aged 60-79 years (212 men and 53 women) in 2018, who participated in both the baseline survey in 2002 and the frailty assessment in 2018. The amount of milk consumption (g/day) at baseline was age- and energy-adjusted, and classified into three categories (no, low and high consumption: 0 g/day, ≤135.86 g/day, >135.86 g/day in men and 0 g/day, ≤126.44 g/day, >126.44 g/day in women). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for prefrailty/frailty after adjusting for lifestyles at baseline, stratified by sex, were estimated using logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The prevalence of prefrailty/frailty in 2018 was 37.7% and 28.3% in men and women, respectively. Milk consumption categories were inversely associated with the prevalence of prefrailty/frailty in men (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.14-0.84 in low consumption; OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.10-0.95 in high consumption; P < 0.05), but not in women (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.11-2.65; P = 0.44).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, milk intake in middle-aged men was inversely associated with the prevalence of prefrailty/frailty later in life. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 700-705.

Relationship between Frequency of Meals Comprising Staple Grain, Main, and Side Dishes and Nutritional Adequacy in Japanese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Meals comprising a staple grain, a main, and side dishes (SMS meals) promote good dietary intake, yet limited studies have examined their multifactorial relationship with dietary intake. We investigated how demographic characteristics, lifestyle, and dietary habits affect the relationship between SMS meal frequency and nutrient intake adequacy. This cross-sectional study analyzed survey data from 331 Japanese adults (208 men and 123 women) aged 30-69 years in February 2019. SMS meal frequency was evaluated according to respondents' answers to how many days a week they consumed ≥2 daily SMS meals. Dietary intake was evaluated using the brief self-administered diet history questionnaire. Differences in nutrient intake adequacy among groups according to SMS meal frequency were determined using multiple logistic regression. Less frequent SMS meals correlated with a lower intake of protein, water-soluble vitamins, and certain minerals, with more individuals falling below the estimated average requirement for nutrient intake. However, no relationship was found between SMS meal frequency and nutrient intake concerning tentative dietary goals for preventing lifestyle-related diseases. Our findings indicate that adopting SMS meals could achieve adequate intake of some nutrients and enhance overall diet quality among Japanese adults.

Relationship between the urinary Na/K ratio, diet and hypertension among community-dwelling older adults

The association between the urinary sodium (Na)/potassium (K) ratio and hypertension is well recognized. We investigated whether the urinary Na/K ratio might be associated with hypertension in community-dwelling older adults and whether the association was influenced by habitual dietary patterns. We enrolled a total of 684 older adults (mean age, 76.8 years) and conducted health examinations at Kusatsu, Japan, in 2021. The urinary Na/K ratio was found to be independently associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p < 0.0001), years of education (p = 0.0027), number of cohabitants (p = 0.0175), estimated glomerular filtrate rate (eGFR) (p = 0.0244), and Geriatric Depression Scale short-version (GDS15) score (p = 0.0366). In addition, an unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis revealed a spectrum of habitual dietary patterns for higher and lower values of the urinary Na/K ratio. The decision tree indicated that the urinary Na/K ratio was associated with the history of milk consumption. A positive history of daily milk consumption predicted a mean urinary Na/K ratio of 2.8, and a negative history of daily milk consumption predicted a mean urinary Na/K ratio of 3.3. Furthermore, the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption also predicted the urinary Na/K ratio. The relationship between the urinary Na/K ratio and hypertension was influenced by the frequency of consumption of milk, fruits, and vegetables in the subjects. This finding might be due to the influence of education and/or depression. The results suggested the importance of nutritional education in the development of hypertension.

Eating alone and weight change in community-dwelling older adults during the coronavirus pandemic: A longitudinal study

Objectives

It is likely that the number of older adults who eat alone has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Older adults who eat alone tend to experience weight fluctuations. Weight loss and underweight in older adults cause health problems. The study objective was to longitudinally investigate the association between changes in eating alone or with others and body weight status in older adults.

Methods

This longitudinal cohort study was conducted in March and October 2020 in Minokamo City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Questionnaire data for 1071 community-dwelling older adults were analyzed. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed using changes in eating alone or with others as the independent variable and body weight status as the dependent variable. The analysis was adjusted for age, sex, living arrangements, educational level, diseases receiving medical treatment, cognitive status, depression, and instrumental activities of daily living. Missing data were imputed using multiple imputation.

Results

The average age of participants was 81.1 y (SD, 4.9 y). Individuals who reported eating alone in both surveys were more likely to report weight loss than those who reported eating with others in both surveys (adjusted model: odds ratio, 2.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–4.78; P = 0.04).

Conclusions

These findings suggest that measures to prevent weight loss in older adults who eat alone are particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cross-Sectional, Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term Effects of Dietary Pattern on Frailty in Taiwan

This study examined the association between dietary patterns and the development of frailty during 4-, 8-, 12-year follow-up periods in the population-based Taiwan Study. We used the data of an elderly population aged 53 years and over (n = 3486) from four waves of the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging. Frailty was identified by using the modified Fried criteria and the values were summed to derive a frailty score. We applied reduced rank regression to determine dietary patterns, which were divided into tertiles (healthy, general, and unhealthy dietary pattern). We used multinomial logistic regression models to assess the association between dietary patterns and the risk of frailty. The healthy dietary pattern was characterized by a higher intake of antioxidant drinks (tea), energy-rich foods (carbohydrates, e.g., rice, noodles), protein-rich foods (fish, meat, seafood, and eggs), and phytonutrient-rich foods (fruit and dark green vegetables). Compared with the healthy pattern, the unhealthy dietary pattern showed significant cross-sectional, short-term, medium-term, and long-term associations with a higher prevalence of frailty (odds ratios (OR) 2.74; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.94–3.87, OR 2.55; 95% CI 1.67–3.88, OR 1.66; 95% CI 1.07–2.57, and OR 2.35; 95% CI 1.27–4.34, respectively). Our findings support recommendations to increase the intake of antioxidant drinks, energy-rich foods, protein-rich foods, and phytonutrient-rich foods, which were associated with a non-frail status. This healthy dietary pattern can help prevent frailty over time in elderly people.

Frequency of consumption of balanced meals, bodyweight gain and incident risk of glucose intolerance in Japanese men and women: A cohort study

AIMS/INTRODUCTION

This cohort study assessed the risk for bodyweight gain and development of glucose intolerance based on the frequency of consumption of balanced meals including grain, fish or meat and vegetables.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The participants (8,573 men, 3,327 women) were employees of a company in Japan. A self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate the frequency of balanced meal consumption. Bodyweight changes and the incidence of glucose intolerance (glycated hemoglobin >6.0%) during the 3-year follow-up period were determined through annual health examinations.

RESULTS

The mean bodyweight change over a period of 3 years was 0.78 kg for men and 0.84 kg for women. A lower frequency of balanced meals was associated with a higher bodyweight gain for men (P for trend = 0.004), but not for women. During the study, 464 men and 115 women developed glucose intolerance. Overall, the frequency of balanced meals was not associated with the risk of glucose intolerance in either sex. However, the interaction between the frequency of balanced meals and degree of obesity had a significant effect on the incidence of glucose intolerance in men (P = 0.005), with less frequent consumption of balanced meals being associated with a higher risk for glucose intolerance among men with a BMI ≥25.0 kg/m2 (P for trend = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

A higher frequency of balanced meals, including grain, fish or meat and vegetable dishes - important components of healthy Japanese food - was associated with a lower risk of glucose intolerance in obese men, but not in non-obese men and women.