The aim was to explore the self-reported impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nutrition and physical activity behaviour in Dutch older adults and to identify subgroups most susceptible to this impact. ...Participants (N = 1119, aged 62-98 y, 52.8% female) of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam living independently completed a COVID-19 questionnaire. Questions on diagnosis, quarantine and hospitalization were asked, as well as impact of the pandemic on ten nutrition and physical activity behaviours. Associations of pre-COVID-19 assessed characteristics (age, sex, region, household composition, self-rated health, BMI, physical activity, functional limitations) with reported impact were tested using logistic regression analyses. About half of the sample (48.3-54.3%) reported a decrease in physical activity and exercise due to the pandemic. An impact on nutritional behaviour predisposing to overnutrition (e.g., snacking more) was reported by 20.3-32.4%. In contrast, 6.9-15.1% reported an impact on behaviour predisposing to undernutrition (e.g., skipping warm meals). Those who had been in quarantine (
= 123) more often reported a negative impact. Subgroups with higher risk of impact could be identified. This study shows a negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nutrition and physical activity behaviour of many older adults, which may increase their risk of malnutrition, frailty, sarcopenia and disability.
Aging is associated with changes in body composition and muscle strength. This review aimed to determine the relation between different body composition measures and muscle strength measures and ...functional decline in older men and women. By use of relevant databases (PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL) and keywords in a search from 1976 to April 2012, 50 articles were reviewed that met the inclusion criteria (written in English, a prospective, longitudinal design, involving older persons aged 65 years or more, and at least one of the measures that follow: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist/hip ratio, midarm circumference, fat mass, muscle fat infiltration, muscle mass, or strength as independent variables and a measure of functional decline as outcome measure). Meta-analyses were performed and revealed that BMI ≥30 and low muscle strength were associated with functional decline (pooled odds ratio (OR) = 1.60, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.43, 1.80, for BMI ≥30 and OR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.32, 2.64, for muscle strength). Low muscle mass was not significantly associated with functional decline (pooled OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 0.98, 1.45). Future intervention research should focus on positive changes in body composition to prevent onset or worsening of functional decline in old age.
Consequences of sarcopenia Visser, Marjolein; Schaap, Laura A
Clinics in geriatric medicine,
08/2011, Volume:
27, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
This article describes the relationship of sarcopenia and dynapenia with three important outcomes in aging research: functional status, falls, and mortality. The data from epidemiologic studies ...conducted in large samples of older men and women suggest that muscle functioning, as indicated by muscle strength or muscle power, has a strong impact on functional status, falls, and mortality. Furthermore, there is evidence that the relationship between poor muscle strength and these three different outcomes is not influenced by muscle size. For the prevention of functional decline, falls, and early mortality in older men and women a major focus on maintaining or increasing muscle strength instead of muscle size seems warranted.
Purpose
Adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been associated with fewer depressive symptoms, however, it is unknown whether this is attributed to some or to all components. We examined the ...association between the individual food groups of the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), in isolation and in combination, with depression and anxiety (symptom severity and diagnosis).
Methods
Data from 1634 adults were available from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. Eleven energy-adjusted food groups were created from a 238-item food frequency questionnaire. In regression analysis, these were associated in isolation and combination with (1) depressive and anxiety disorders (established with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview) (current disorder
n
= 414), and (2) depression and anxiety severity measured with the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Fear Questionnaire (FEAR).
Results
Overall, the MDS score shows the strongest relationships with depression/anxiety Diagnosis: odds ratio (OR) 0.77 per SD, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.66–0.90, IDS: standardised betas (
β
) − 0.13, 95% CI − 0.18, − 0.08 and anxiety (BAI:
β
− 0.11, 95% CI − 0.16, − 0.06, FEAR:
β
− 0.08, 95% CI − 0.13, − 0.03). Greater consumption of non-refined grains and vegetables was associated with lower depression and anxiety severity, whilst being a non-drinker was associated with higher symptom severity. Higher fruit and vegetable intake was associated with lower fear severity. Non-refined grain consumption was associated with lower odds and being a non-drinker with greater odds of current depression/anxiety disorders compared to healthy controls, these associations persisted after adjustment for other food groups (OR 0.82 per SD, 95% CI 0.71–0.96, OR 1.26 per SD 95% CI 1.08–1.46).
Conclusion
We can conclude that non-refined grains, vegetables and alcohol intake appeared to be the driving variables for the associated the total MDS score and depression/anxiety. However, the combined effect of the whole diet remains important for mental health. It should be explored whether an increase consumption of non-refined grains and vegetables may help to prevent or reduce depression and anxiety.
The aim of this study was to provide recent data on the prevalence of undernutrition based on screening and diagnosis in Dutch community-dwelling older adults. The data from the 2021 to 2022 ...examination wave from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (n = 1138) and the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey 2019–2021 (n = 607) on community-dwelling men and women aged 65 years and older were used. The prevalence of undernutrition was based on a positive score on the Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire 65+ (SNAQ65+) screening tool, a positive diagnosis using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria and their combination. Of the combined sample (n = 1745), the mean age was 74 (SD 6) years, where 16.7% were aged 80 years or older, 50.5% was female, 56.9% had a high education level, and 30.3% lived alone. The prevalence of undernutrition based on the SNAQ65+ screening in the combined sample was 8.5% (95% CI 7.3–9.9%). In the subgroup of LASA participants with complete data on all GLIM criteria (n = 700), the prevalence of undernutrition was 5.4% based on SNAQ65+ and 7.1% based on GLIM. A positive SNAQ65+ screening followed by a positive GLIM diagnosis resulted in a lower prevalence (3.1%). Being female, older, living alone, receiving formal home care, and having poor self-rated health, poor appetite, or mobility limitations, they were all associated with a higher prevalence, with more than two-fold higher prevalence rates in some subgroups. The results show that currently one out of twelve community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older is undernourished based on the SNAQ65+ screening, and one out of fourteen is undernourished based on the GLIM diagnosis criteria. Awareness is needed to increase early recognition and treatment in community and primary care, especially among the more vulnerable groups.
BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is thought to be accompanied by increased muscle fat infiltration. However, no longitudinal studies have examined concomitant changes in muscle mass, strength, or fat ...infiltration in older adults. OBJECTIVE: We present longitudinal data on age-related changes in leg composition, strength, and muscle quality (MQ) in ambulatory, well-functioning men and women. We hypothesized that muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and strength would decrease and muscular fat infiltration would increase over 5 y. DESIGN: Midthigh muscle, subcutaneous fat (SF), and intermuscular fat (IMF) CSAs and isokinetic leg muscle torque (MT) and MQ (MT/quadriceps CSA) were examined over 5 y in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study cohort (n = 1678). RESULTS: Men experienced a 16.1% loss of MT, whereas women experienced a 13.4% loss. Adjusted annualized decreases in MT were 2-5 times greater than the loss of muscle CSA in those who lost weight and in those who remained weight-stable. Weight gain did not prevent the loss of MT, despite a small increase in muscle CSA. Only those who gained weight had an increase in SF (P < 0.001), whereas those who lost weight also lost SF (P < 0.001). There was an age-related increase in IMF in men and women (P < 0.001), and IMF increased in those who lost weight, gained weight, or remained weight-stable (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Loss of leg MT in older adults is greater than muscle CSA loss, which suggests a decrease in MQ. Additionally, aging is associated with an increase in IMF regardless of changes in weight or SF.
Des pite the growing concerns over the damages and unsustainability of conventional agriculture, arable farmers struggle to convert to organic cropping practices. In wheat farming, the lack of ...cultivars adapted to organic cropping has prompted a search for alternatives to better cope with unpredictability and stress. In that respect, heterogeneous material (HM) has attracted a lot of attention for its good performances and yield stability across years and environments. These benefits are thought to arise from facilitative plant interactions brought forth by intraspecific diversity, but much remains to be known about the mechanisms at play as well as their interactions with the other elements of the cropping system. Here, we review the literature on plant interactions within organic bread wheat crops through the successive scopes of (i) heterogeneous material, (ii) plant density, and (iii) their interaction. Our major findings are as follows: (1) optimizing heterogeneous material performance and evolutionary trajectories grossly amounts to tipping the balance between competitive and facilitative plant interactions toward the latter. (2) The stress gradient hypothesis applies to the competition/facilitation balance within HM: The more stressful the conditions, the more facilitation happens. (3) Plant density also affects this balance, and the relationship between net facilitation and plant density in HM follows a humped curve. (4) Therefore, the optimal plant density range for HM should be both narrower and lower than for pure lines, and also harder to predict. (5) High-tillering, high individual yielding plant types should probably be aimed for in HM, for two reasons: first, they perform better at the lower-than-the-recommendations plant densities at which HM are expected to best express their potential. Second, optimal plant densities of such plant types are more stable across environments, which should increase the probability of falling within the narrower optimal plant density range of HM, particularly in unpredictable and/or stressed environments.
Poor taste and smell function are widely thought to contribute to the development of poor appetite and undernutrition in older adults. It has been hypothesized that the oral microbiota play a role as ...well, but evidence is scarce. In a cross-sectional cohort of 356 older adults, we performed taste and smell tests, collected anthropometric measurements and tongue swabs for analysis of microbial composition (16S rRNA sequencing) and Candida albicans abundance (qPCR). Older age, edentation, poor smell and poor appetite were associated with lower alpha diversity and explained a significant amount of beta diversity. Moreover, a lower Streptococcus salivarius abundance was associated with poor smell identification score, whereas high C. albicans abundance seemed to be associated with poor smell discrimination score. In our population, neither the tongue microbiota, nor C. albicans were associated with poor taste or directly with undernutrition. Our findings do suggest a host-microbe interaction with regard to smell perception and appetite.
Objectives
The current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is based on short‐term nitrogen balance studies in young adults and may underestimate the amount needed to optimally preserve ...physical function in older adults. We examined the association between protein intake and the onset of mobility limitation over 6 years of follow‐up in older adults in the Health ABC study.
Design
Prospective cohort study.
Setting
Memphis, Tennessee and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Participants
Community‐dwelling, initially well‐functioning adults aged 70–79 years (n = 1998).
Measurements
Protein intake (g/kg body weight/d) was calculated using an interviewer‐administered 108‐item food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Mobility limitation was assessed semi‐annually and defined as reporting any difficulty walking one‐quarter of a mile or climbing 10 steps on 2 consecutive 6‐month contacts. The association between protein intake and incident mobility limitation was examined using Cox proportional hazard regression models adjusting for demographics, behavioral characteristics, chronic conditions, total energy intake, and height.
Results
Mean (SD) protein intake was 0.91 (0.38) g/kg body weight/d, with 43% reporting intakes less than the RDA (0.8 g/kg body weight/d). During 6 years of follow‐up, 705 participants (35.3%) developed mobility limitations. Compared to participants in the upper tertile of protein intake (≥1.0 g/kg body weight/d), participants in the lower two tertiles of protein intake (<0.7 and 0.7 –<1.0 g/kg body weight/d) were at greater risk of developing mobility limitation over 6 years of follow‐up (RR (95% CI): 1.86 (1.41–2.44) and 1.49 (1.20–1.84), respectively).
Conclusion
Lower protein intake was associated with increased risk of mobility limitation in community‐dwelling, initially well‐functioning older adults. These results suggest that protein intakes of ≥1.0 g/kg body weight/d may be optimal for maintaining physical function in older adults.
The aim was to investigate the protein knowledge of community-dwelling older adults. A survey was conducted among 1825 adults aged ≥65 years and living in Finland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and ...United Kingdom in 2017. Protein knowledge was measured with nine objective knowledge statements provided only to participants who indicated to know what the nutrient "protein" is (64.7% of sample). Demographic, socioeconomic and health determinants of poor protein knowledge were investigated using multiple logistic regression analyses. The sample was 49.6% female and 87.0% reported no walking difficulties. Participants scored best on the true statement "You need protein in the diet for repairing bones and muscles" (89.3% correct), and worst on the false statement "One meal per day with a good protein source is sufficient" (25.4% correct). Median knowledge score was 5.0 (scale 0-9) and poor knowledge was present in 49.4% of the sample. Males (Odds Ratio 1.57), those unable to walk for 5 min (2.66), not always making their own food decision (1.36) and having lower income (1.44) were more likely to have poor knowledge. Large differences were observed across countries. In conclusion, poor protein knowledge is present in about half of community-dwelling older adults. Communication strategies should be tailored to target the identified risk groups with poor knowledge.
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