Background: The prevalence of sarcopenia defined by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) definition in Asian communities has not been fully addressed. Moreover, few studies have addressed the influence of sarcopenia on mortality.Methods: A total of 1,371 and 1,597 residents aged 65 years or older participated in health surveys in 2012 and 2017. Sarcopenia was determined by the AWGS definition. Factors associated with the presence of sarcopenia were assessed using a logistic regression model in participants in the 2012 survey. Subjects in the 2012 survey were followed-up prospectively for a median of 4.3 years. Mortality risk for subjects with sarcopenia was examined using the Cox proportional hazards model.Results: The crude prevalence of sarcopenia was 7.4% and 6.6% in participants at the 2012 and 2017 surveys, respectively; there was no significant difference between surveys (p = 0.44). The prevalence of sarcopenia increased significantly with age in both sexes (both p for trend < 0.001). Subjects with sarcopenia were more likely to exercise less regularly, to intake less total energy, and to exhibit a disability in activity of daily living than those without. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was 2.20 (95% confidence interval, 1.25-3.85) in subjects with sarcopenia, compared to those without.Conclusions: Approximately 7% of older subjects had sarcopenia in a community-dwelling older Japanese population. Moreover, subjects with sarcopenia had an increased mortality risk. Our findings suggest that a public health strategy for sarcopenia is needed to extend healthy life expectancy.

Aims/Introduction: The investigation of the influence of dietary fiber intake on the incidence of type 2 diabetes in a general Japanese population.Materials and Methods: A total of 1,892 individuals aged 40–79 years without diabetes at baseline were prospectively followed up for 14 years. The glucose tolerance status of participants was defined by a 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test with the 1998 World Health Organization criteria. Dietary fiber intake was estimated by a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire and divided to quintile levels separately by sex. A Cox proportional hazards model was applied for computing the hazard ratios and their 95% confidence intervals for the incidence of diabetes.Results: During the follow‐up period, 280 participants had developed diabetes. The age‐adjusted cumulative diabetes incidence decreased significantly with higher total dietary fiber intake (P‐for trend = 0.01). Participants in the highest quintile of total dietary fiber intake had a 0.53‐fold (95% confidence interval 0.31–0.90) lower risk of developing diabetes than those in the lowest quintile after for the adjustment with potential confounding factors. Total dietary fiber intake showed a moderate positive correlation to the intake of soybean and soybean products, green vegetables, and other vegetables. Similar associations with diabetes and food sources were observed for both of the soluble and insoluble dietary fiber intake.Conclusions: The present study showed that higher dietary fiber intake was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in a general Japanese population. The intake of high dietary fiber foods might be useful for diabetes prevention.

Few studies have examined the association between the accumulation of unhealthy eating habits and the likelihood of obesity or central obesity in a general Japanese population. We examined this association in a sample of 1906 community-dwelling Japanese subjects (age: 40–74 years) who participated in a health check-up in 2014. A face-to-face questionnaire interview was conducted to collect information about three unhealthy eating habits, i.e., snacking, eating quickly, and eating late-evening meals. Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥25 kg/m² and central obesity was defined as waist circumference ≥90 cm in men and ≥80 cm in women. The odds ratios (OR) were estimated by using a logistic regression analysis. Subjects with any one of the three eating habits had a significantly higher likelihood of obesity than those without that habit after adjusting for confounding factors. The multivariable-adjusted OR for obesity increased linearly with an increase in the number of accumulated unhealthy eating habits (p for trend < 0.001). Similar associations were observed for central obesity. Our findings suggest that modifying each unhealthy eating habit and avoiding an accumulation of multiple unhealthy eating habits might be important to reduce the likelihood of obesity.

Objectives We examined the trend in the number of missing teeth in a Japanese community over a 10-year period and the potential associated explanatory factors. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting A population-based study conducted in 2007, 2012 and 2017 in Japan (Hisayama Study). Participants Residents of a Japanese community aged 40–79 years undergoing dental examination in 2007 (n=2665), 2012 (n=2325) and 2017 (n=2285). Outcome measures The number of missing teeth, periodontal condition, dental caries experience, dental plaque index and oral health behaviours were evaluated each year. The longitudinal analysis of variation in these factors were assessed using mixed models. Results The age-adjusted and sex-adjusted mean number of missing teeth decreased with time (6.80 in 2007, 6.01 in 2012 and 4.99 in 2017). The mean clinical attachment level (CAL), prevalence of periodontitis and dental plaque index decreased over the study period, while dental caries experience slightly increased. The level of oral health behaviour increased over time. Poisson mixed models showed that changes in mean CAL and dental caries experience were positively associated with the change in the number of missing teeth over time. Linear mixed models showed that changes in dental plaque index and no regular dental visit were positively associated with changes in mean CAL. Conclusions These findings suggest that a decreasing trend regarding the number of missing teeth in Japan might be associated with improvements in the periodontal condition due to changes in oral hygiene level and oral health behaviour.

Aims/Introduction: To investigate the association between midlife or late‐life diabetes and the development of sarcopenia in an older Japanese population.Materials and Methods: A total of 824 Japanese residents aged 65 to 84 years without sarcopenia were followed up from 2012 to 2017. Sarcopenia was determined following the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia definition. The time of diabetes diagnosis was classified as midlife or late‐life diabetes by the age at first diagnosis of diabetes (< 65 or ≥ 65 years) based on annual health checkups data over the past 24 years. The duration of diabetes was categorized into three groups of < 10, 10–15, and > 15 years. The odds ratios of incident sarcopenia according to the diabetic status were estimated using a logistic regression analysis.Results: During follow‐up, 47 subjects developed sarcopenia. The multivariable‐adjusted odds ratio for incident sarcopenia was significantly greater in subjects with diabetes at baseline than in those without it (odds ratio 2.51, 95% confidence interval 1.26–5.00). Subjects with midlife diabetes had a significantly greater risk of incident sarcopenia, whereas no significant association between late‐life diabetes and incident sarcopenia was observed. With a longer duration of diabetes, the risk of incident sarcopenia increased significantly (P for trend = 0.002).Conclusions: The present study suggests that midlife diabetes and a longer duration of diabetes are significant risk factors for incident sarcopenia in the older population. Preventing diabetes in midlife may reduce the risk of the development of sarcopenia in later life.