Background: Decreased muscle strength is strongly associated with future mobility limitations in older

Acculturation, age, sex and education are associated with healthy and unhealthy dietary patterns. Nutrition interventions for Mexican Americans should tailor approaches by these characteristics.

Objectives This study aimed to assess the independent associations of serum levels of vitamin B12 and plasma concentrations of homocysteine with gait speed decline. Design, Setting, Participants This study utilized longitudinal analysis of participants 50 years or older from The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, N=774. Measurements Gait speed (m/s) was assessed using the 6-meter usual pace test. Vitamin B12 and homocysteine concentrations were collected using standard clinical protocols. Linear mixed effects regression was stratified by baseline age category (50–69, 70–79, and ≥80 years old). Results Mean follow-up time for the total study sample was 5.4 ± 2.0 years. No association between vitamin B12 and gait speed decline over the follow-up time for any age group was found. Elevated homocysteine concentrations were associated with decline in gait speed after adjustment for covariates (50–69: β= −0.005, p=.057; 70–79: β= −0.013, p<.001, ≥80: β= −0.007, p=.054). Conclusion Homocysteine and vitamin B12 are inversely related, yet only homocysteine was associated with gait speed decline in this population of healthy older adults. Given these results, future research should be directed towards investigating the relationship in populations with greater variation in vitamin B12 concentrations and other mechanisms influencing homocysteine concentrations.

BackgroundTo describe the characteristics of participants who registered for multiple annual offerings of a community-based weight loss program called The Challenge, and to determine participant characteristics associated with weight change over multiple offerings of The Challenge occurring during the years 2010–2016.MethodsMultivariable linear mixed effects analyses were conducted to describe percent weight change within and between offerings of The Challenge by participant characteristics.ResultsThere were 669 and 575 participants included in the within and between analyses, respectively, for offerings of The Challenge. Among the 434 participants who lost weight in their first attempt at The Challenge and completed the initial weigh-in for a subsequent offering of The Challenge, 22.4% maintained their weight loss or had greater weight loss by the next Challenge, 40.3% gained back some weight, and 37.3% gained back all or more of the weight they lost during their first Challenge. Men had a significantly greater percent weight loss compared to women in their first and second Challenge and men were more likely to gain weight between Challenges. Participants who returned to more Challenges had a greater accumulated percent weight loss compared to those who returned to fewer Challenges.ConclusionsThe current weight loss Challenge appears to contribute to helping a percentage of participants lose weight and maintain some or all of the weight loss.

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