This study aims to explore the association between malnutrition diagnosed according to both the Global Leadership Initiative of Malnutrition (GLIM) and the European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) criteria and the onset of sarcopenia/severe sarcopenia, diagnosed according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWGSOP2) criterion, in the sarcopenia and physical impairment with advancing age (SarcoPhAge) cohort during a four-year follow-up. Adjusted Cox-regression and Kaplan-Meier curves were performed. Among the 534 community-dwelling participants recruited in the SarcoPhAge study, 510 were free from sarcopenia at baseline, of whom 336 had complete data (186 women and 150 men, mean age of 72.5 ± 5.8 years) to apply the GLIM and ESPEN criteria. A significantly higher risk of developing sarcopenia/severe sarcopenia during the four-year follow-up based on the GLIM [sarcopenia: Adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 3.23 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.73–6.05); severe sarcopenia: Adjusted HR = 2.87 (95% CI 1.25–6.56)] and ESPEN [sarcopenia: Adjusted HR = 4.28 (95% CI 1.86–9.86); severe sarcopenia: Adjusted HR = 3.86 (95% CI 1.29–11.54)] criteria was observed. Kaplan-Meier curves confirmed this relationship (log rank p < 0.001 for all). These results highlighted the importance of malnutrition since it has been shown to be associated with an approximately fourfold higher risk of developing sarcopenia/severe sarcopenia during a four-year follow-up.

This study aimed to assess the impact of malnutrition on the 5-year evolution of physical performance, muscle mass and muscle strength in participants from the SarcoPhAge cohort, consisting of community-dwelling older adults. The malnutrition status was assessed at baseline (T0) according to the “Global Leadership Initiatives on Malnutrition” (GLIM) criteria, and the muscle parameters were evaluated both at T0 and after five years of follow-up (T5). Lean mass, muscle strength and physical performance were assessed using dual X-ray absorptiometry, handgrip dynamometry, the short physical performance battery test and the timed up and go test, respectively. Differences in muscle outcomes according to nutritional status were tested using Student’s t-test. The association between malnutrition and the relative 5-year change in the muscle parameters was tested using multiple linear regressions adjusted for several covariates. A total of 411 participants (mean age of 72.3 ± 6.1 years, 56% women) were included. Of them, 96 individuals (23%) were diagnosed with malnutrition at baseline. Their muscle parameters were significantly lower than those of the well-nourished patients both at baseline and after five years of follow-up (all p-values < 0.05), except for muscle strength in women at T5, which was not significantly lower in the presence of malnutrition. However, the 5-year changes in muscle parameters of malnourished individuals were not significantly different than those of well-nourished individuals (all p-values > 0.05).

Muscle weakness and physical performance impairment are common geriatric conditions that raise morbidity and mortality. They are known to be affected by nutrition, but only a few longitudinal studies exist. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring the association, over 3 years, between variations of nutrient intakes, as well as, on one side, the variations of handgrip strength, as a surrogate of muscle strength, and on the other side, the physical performance, assessed by gait speed. Participants from the SarcoPhAge study, a Belgian cohort of people aged 65 years and older, were asked to complete a self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at the second (T2) and the fifth (T5) year of follow-up. Daily macro- and micronutrient intakes were measured and their changes in consumption over the three years of follow-up were then calculated. The association between changes in nutrients consumption and the variations in muscle parameters were investigated through multiple linear regressions. Out of the 534 participants included in the cohort, 238 had complete data at T2 and T5 (median age of 72.0 years (70.0–78.0 years), 60.9% women). In the cross-sectional analysis, calories, omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, and vitamins D, A, and K intakes were positively correlated with muscle strength. In the longitudinal analysis, neither the gait speed nor the muscle strength changes were significantly impacted by the variations. Other longitudinal investigations with longer follow-up are required to improve knowledge about these interrelations.

Objectives Diet may influence biochemical pathways involved in age-related changes in body composition and physical function. This study aimed to describe dietary patterns and their relationships with body composition, physical performance, and grip strength according to age and sex. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Data were collected in the Clinical Research Center (CRC) of the Gérontopôle of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) of Toulouse or at participants’ homes when unable to attend the research facilities. Participants 470 (63% female) people with a median age of 56 (38–70) years. Measurements The “Mediterranean-like” (i.e., plant-based foods, dairy), “Animal products” (i.e., meat, processed meat, butter, refined starch), and “Sugar and fast food” (i.e., ultra-processed and sugary foods) dietary patterns were extracted by principal component analysis. Total and trunk fat mass indexes (kg/m²), and total and appendicular lean mass indexes (kg/m²) were assessed by DXA. The physical tests comprised gait speed (m/sec), chair rise (sec), the Short Physical Performance Battery test (/12 points), and handgrip strength (kg). The associations were explored through multivariate linear regressions by sex and age groups: ≥20 to <50, ≥50 to <65, and ≥65 years. Results Men and women had higher adherence to the “Sugar and fast food” diet in the youngest group. Middle-aged and older women adhered more to a “Mediterranean-like” diet. Men kept a “Sugar and fast food” diet when middle-aged and changed to the “Animal products” diet when ≥65 years. Higher adherence to the “Mediterranean-like” diet was associated with lower BMI, body fat, and lean mass in middle-aged men. Higher adherence to the “Animal products” diet was associated with higher lean mass in middle-aged women, more trunk fat in young men, lower strength in middle-aged men, and higher strength in older men. Higher adherence to the “Sugar and fast food” diet was associated with higher body fat in middle-aged men but lower body fat in older men. Conclusion Diets composed of sugary foods, fast foods, and processed meat were associated with higher fat mass and lower strength. Men were more prone to have less healthy food intake in all age groups.