Novel Insights on Intake of Fish and Prevention of Sarcopenia: All Reasons for an Adequate Consumption

Abstract

Sarcopenia is defined as a syndrome characterized by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength and it is diagnosed by measurements of muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance. Sarcopenia affects quality of life and is associated with several adverse health effects. Muscle decline is aggravated by a sedentary lifestyle and can be prevented through proper nutrition, together with adequate physical activity. Fish contains biologically active compounds, such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, proteins, vitamin D, magnesium, and carnitine, which are able to intervene positively on muscle metabolism. This narrative literature review was performed to evaluate evidence regarding the actual benefit of fish consumption in the prevention of sarcopenia and the positive action on the muscle mass of the biological compounds present in fish. The results demonstrated that fish consumption has a protective and anti-inflammatory function on skeletal muscle and that its biologically active compounds help to maintain good muscle performance, preventing sarcopenia. Considering the nutritional and health benefits, elderly with sarcopenia should consume at least three servings per week of fish in order to have a minimum intake of 4–4.59 g daily of omega 3, and reaching the 50% RDA in Vitamin E and D. High biological value of proteins in 150 g of fish and its high available magnesium (20% of RDA in 150 g of fish) are an added value that could suggest fish as a “functional food” in order to prevent and treat sarcopenia.

Nutrient and food group intakes and skeletal muscle index in the Japanese elderly: a cross-sectional analysis of the NHNS 2017

“…In our study, elderly people with a higher SMI consumed more vegetables and meats, although the relationship was attenuated after further adjustment for energy intake. These results agree with several previous studies on vegetables (29) and meats (30,31) . Consumption of meats could be important food group for prevention of loss of muscle mass (30) ;however, meats intake in Japanese elderly people aged ≥60 years is nearly half of that observed in young people aged 20-29 years (68•3 v. 123•7 g) (32) .…”

Food avoidance is associated with reduced dentitions and edentulousness

“…However, as a result of impaired masticatory ability, people may develop food preferences, i.e., toward the selection and consumption of more soft and fewer hard or tough foods [1,10,11]. Soft (especially refined) foods are associated with the risk for malnutrition, resulting in higher risk for the metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, obesity, loss of body mass, particularly muscle mass, and sarcopenia [8,9,[12][13][14][15]. On the other hand, hard foods such as fiber-containing grains, vegetables, and fruits are recommended to be a substantial part of the daily diet [9,11].…”

Should dietary guidelines recommend low red meat intake?

“…As such, it contributes to the physical and cognitive development of infants and children (Neumann et al, 2007;Hulett et al, 2014;Tang & Krebs, 2014;Cofnas, 2019) and prevents deficiencies in young females (Fayet et al, 2014;Hall et al, 2017). In the elderly, sufficient meat intake can prevent or improve malnutrition and sarcopenia, also improving health-related quality of life (Pannemans et al, 1998;Shibata, 2001;Phillips, 2012;Rondanelli et al, 2015;Torres et al, 2017).…”