Measurements of skeletal muscle mass and power are positively related to a Mediterranean dietary pattern in women.

E Kelaiditi,A Cassidy,A Jennings,C J Steves,A J Macgregor,A A Welch,J Skinner

doi:10.1007/s00198-016-3665-9

Abstract

SummaryThe age-related loss of skeletal muscle and function are risk factors for osteoporosis and fractures. We found that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet score was significantly associated with greater fat-free mass and leg explosive power suggesting a role for the Mediterranean Diet in prevention of loss of muscle outcomes.IntroductionThe loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function with age are contributing risk factors for the onset of sarcopenia, frailty, osteoporosis, fractures, and mortality. Nutrition may affect the progression and trajectory of these changes in skeletal muscle but the role of the micronutrient-rich Mediterranean diet (MD) has hardly been investigated in relation to these muscle outcomes.MethodsWe examined associations between the MD score (MDS) and FFM% (fat-free mass / weight × 100), FFMI (fat-free mass/height2), hand grip strength, and leg explosive power (LEP, watts/kg) in a cross-sectional study in 2570 women aged 18–79 years from the TwinsUK study. Measurements of body composition were made using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and dietary intake assessed by a food frequency questionnaire. FFM%, FFMI, grip strength, and LEP were compared across quartiles of the MDS after adjustment for covariates, with CRP measured in a subgroup (n = 1658).ResultsHigher adherence to the MDS was positively associated with measurements of muscle outcomes, with significant differences of 1.7 % for FFM% and 9.6 % for LEP (P trend <0.001), comparing extreme quartiles of intake, but not with grip strength or CRP concentrations.ConclusionsFor the first time in a northern European population, we have observed significant positive associations between the MDS and FFM% and LEP in healthy women that are potentially clinically relevant, independent of the factors known to influence muscle outcomes. Our findings emphasize the potential role for overall diet quality based on the MD in the prevention of age-related loss of skeletal muscle outcomes.

Highlights

IntroductionSarcopenia (the presence of low skeletal muscle mass and low muscle function) is an increasingly prevalent condition in our ageing populations [1, 2]
Sarcopenia is an increasingly prevalent condition in our ageing populations [1, 2]
Our findings emphasize the potential role for overall diet quality based on the Mediterranean diet (MD) in the prevention of age-related loss of skeletal muscle outcomes

Summary

Introduction

Sarcopenia (the presence of low skeletal muscle mass and low muscle function) is an increasingly prevalent condition in our ageing populations [1, 2]. Sarcopenia is associated with a number of adverse health outcomes, including physical disability, frailty, and incidence of osteoporosis, falls, and fractures, increasing health care costs, and so, it is crucial to identify preventative strategies Such strategies may be identified in the study of the continuum of the loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, or function (muscle outcomes) with age using epidemiological techniques [1, 3]. Recent evidence has highlighted that the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, or function individually, or in combination, are associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures. This may be due to either the potential hormonal. The mechanisms contributing to the loss of skeletal muscle mass and function with age include chronic low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress, which trigger catabolism and an increase in protein turnover in skeletal muscle [3, 5]

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