Abstract
Recent interest in protein intake per meal is observed in studies that have reported the protein intake patterns in different countries; however, comparisons of these data are lacking. We aimed to compare protein intake patterns and the percentage of inadequate protein intake (IPI) per day and meal in older adults from different countries. We acquired data of protein intake in older adults from four countries (Mexico, United States of America, Germany, and United Kingdom). We compared protein intake (per day and meal), IPI per day and meal, and the number of meals with an adequate protein content among countries. The IPI per day significantly differed among countries for <0.8 and <1.0 (both p < 0.001), but not for <1.2 g/kg/d (p = 0.135). IPI per meal (<30 g/meal) did not differ among countries at breakfast (p = 0.287) and lunch (p = 0.076) but did differ at dinner (p < 0.001). Conversely, IPI per meal (<0.4 g/kg/meal) significantly differed among countries at breakfast, lunch, and dinner (all p < 0.001). The percentage of participants that ate ≥30 g/meal or ≥0.4 g/kg/meal at zero, one, and two or three meals per day significantly differed among countries (all p < 0.05). IPI at breakfast and lunch (<30 g/meal) was a common trait in the analyzed samples and might represent an opportunity for nutritional interventions in older adults in different countries.
Highlights
The ageing process in humans encompasses many changes that lead to undesirable clinical conditions like a higher fat deposition, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, frailty, and physical disability [1,2].Current research on ageing focuses on decreasing the risk of developing the previously mentioned conditions and designing effective interventions to improve the patient’s health [3,4,5].Regarding sarcopenia, frailty, and physical disability, protein intake is one of the several factors linked to these clinical conditions [6]
Some studies suggested that inadequate protein intake (
When data from the four samples were combined (n = 522), we calculated the percentage of IPID-0.8, IPID-1.0, IPID-1.2, IPIM-30, IPIM-0.4, and the number of meals with an adequate protein content (Table 3)
Summary
The ageing process in humans encompasses many changes that lead to undesirable clinical conditions like a higher fat deposition, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, frailty, and physical disability [1,2].Current research on ageing focuses on decreasing the risk of developing the previously mentioned conditions and designing effective interventions to improve the patient’s health [3,4,5].Regarding sarcopenia, frailty, and physical disability, protein intake is one of the several factors linked to these clinical conditions [6]. The studies supporting the importance of protein distribution in older adults suggest that the consumption of 30 g of protein per meal or 0.4 g/kg per meal are associated with a higher skeletal muscle mass and strength and maximally stimulates muscle protein synthesis, respectively [15,16]. In this regard, some studies suggested that inadequate protein intake (
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