Higher Diet Quality is Associated with Lower Odds of Low Hand Grip Strength in the Korean Elderly Population

Abstract

Single nutrients or food groups have been associated with physical performance. However, little is known about the association of overall diet quality with hand grip strength (HGS), a predictive parameter in the prognosis of chronic disease morbidity and mortality, or quality of life. This study examined the association between HGS and three indices—the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI), the Alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMED), and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)—using data obtained on Korean elderly persons aged ≥65 years (n = 3675) from a nationally representative database. The cross-sectional data was collected as part of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2014–2016). Dietary intake data from the 24-h recall method were used to calculate diet quality scores. The cutoff value for low HGS was defined as the value corresponding to the lowest 20th percentile of HGS of the study population (men, 28.6 kg; women, 16.5 kg). Higher index scores for diet quality were associated with 32%–53% lower odds of low HGS. Better overall diet quality may be associated with higher HGS in the elderly Korean population.

Healthy Eating Index-2015 Is Associated with Grip Strength among the US Adult Population

“…For example, the Mediterranean diet is associated with fat-free mass and leg explosive power, but not with grip strength among United Kingdom older women [21], while among active elderly women in Italy and Netherland, the Mediterranean diet was shown to be positively associated with better grip strength [24]. Among 3675 Korean adults aged 65 or above, the authors reported that higher score in all three eating patterns, including the Korean-HEI, the alternate Mediterranean diet, and the DASH, were associated with 32-53% reduction in the risk of having low grip strength (i.e., corresponded to the lowest 20th percentile of the study population) [25].…”

“…The benefits of the Mediterranean diet for general health are recognized in the DGA, and therefore many characteristics of the Mediterranean diet are included in the DGA [26,38]. Previous studies showed that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is positively associated with better muscle mass and function [21,24,25]. For example, the Mediterranean diet is associated with fat-free mass and leg explosive power, but not with grip strength among United Kingdom older women [21], while among active elderly women in Italy and Netherland, the Mediterranean diet was shown to be positively associated with better grip strength [24].…”

“…Recent studies, however, examine dietary intakes as a mix of foods and nutrients using different types of common eating patterns [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. For example, adherence to the dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) or to the Nordic diet is positively associated with higher grip strength [20,25]. The Mediterranean diet studied across different populations is related to muscle mass and physical function [20,24,26].…”

Association between Healthy Eating Index-2015 scores and probable sarcopenia in community-dwelling Iranian older adults: a cross-sectional study

“…Most older adults adhering to a high-quality diet tend to maintain a generally healthier lifestyle and are more regularly physically active. Thus, they are less susceptible to obesity and decreased muscle strength ( 17 ) .…”

“…Studies showed that a Mediterranean diet is significantly associated with low odds of sarcopenia progression in contrast to pro-inflammatory diets ( 10 , 14 ) . Other studies suggested that adherence to the HEI and Mediterranean diets might play a role in preventing muscle weakness in the elderly ( 17 , 18 ) . Given that the scarce number of Iranian studies on the association of diet with sarcopenia and abnormal handgrips strength, and the necessity of studies about improving lifestyle factors of older adults, the present study aimed to investigate the association of HEI values with PS in community-dwelling Iranian older adults in the Tehran district of Iran.…”