Association between Dietary Patterns in Older Adults and Obesity-Related Health Outcomes

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity-related health outcomes is increasing among older adults. Because it is thought that nutrition plays an important role in successful aging, there has been considerable interest in the association between dietary patterns of older adults and obesity-related health outcomes. Cluster analysis, utilizing data from four 24-hour dietary recalls, was used to derive dietary patterns in a subgroup of 260 participants from the Geisinger Rural Aging Study (mean age: 78.6 3.9 years). Prevalence (5-year follow-up) of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome was extracted from the outpatient electronic medical records using a validated data abstraction process. Logistic regression, adjusting for relevant covariates, was used to examine the associations between dietary patterns and health outcomes. ‘Sweets and Dairy’ (49%), ‘Health-Conscious’ (27%) and ‘Western’ (24%) dietary patterns were identified at baseline. Prevalence of hypertension in the ’Sweets and Dairy’, ‘Health-conscious’, and ‘Western’ pattern was 81.3%, 65.7%, and 79.0%, respectively. Compared to the ‘Health-Conscious’ pattern, those in the ‘Sweets and Dairy’ pattern had increased odds of hypertension; adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) was 2.17 (1.11-4.27). No significant associations were found for cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, or metabolic syndrome with dietary patterns. Although there was a statistically significant relationship between dietary pattern and prevalence of hypertension, the practical clinical utility remains unclear. The null findings for a 5-year follow-up of any elderly sample for cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus andmetabolic syndromedonot address the potential benefits of adopting a healthy dietary pattern at a younger age.