Korean J Community Nutr.  2020 Jun;25(3):226-235. 10.5720/kjcn.2020.25.3.226.

Association of Low Hand Grip Strength with Protein Intake in Korean Female Elderly: based on the Seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VII), 2016-2018

• Jang W
• Ryu HK

• KMID: 2504062
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2020.25.3.226

Abstract

Objectives
Decreasing muscle strength in old age has become a significant health problem because it increases the risk of falls or fractures and transfers to other diseases. The precise role of dietary protein intake in preventing or reducing muscle weakness is unclear. This study examined the relationship between handgrip strength and protein intake in Korean female elderly.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study that used data from the Seventh Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) on female subjects aged 65 years and older. Low handgrip strength (LHGS) was defined as a handgrip strength below than 18 kg. Dietary intake data were obtained using the 1-day 24-hour recall method. Multiple regression was performed to test whether there is an independent relationship between the grip strength and protein intake, and the association between protein intake and LHGS was confirmed through multiple logistic regression.
Results
The mean age of the 2,083 elderly females was 73.3 ± 0.1 years, and the prevalence of LHGS was 35% (n=734). Elderly women with an LHGS consumed less energy, total protein, and animal-based protein than those in the normal group. A multiple regression analysis after adjusting for covariate revealed a significant positive association between the handgrip strength and energy, protein, and animal-based protein intake. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio (OR) of LHGS in female elderly with the highest quartiles of consumption of energy [OR, 0.65; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.43- 0.82; P for trend=0.004], and animal-based protein [OR, 0.59; CI, 0.40-0.87; P for trend= 0.037] were significantly lower than those in the lowest quartiles.
Conclusions
The energy intake and animal-based protein intake were negatively associated with the LHGS. These results suggest that adequate energy intake and protein intake, particularly those from animal-based sources, for elderly women in Korea are beneficial in lowering the risk of LHGS.

Keyword

handgrip strength; sarcopenia; protein intake; animal-based protein