Age-related decline in muscle strength is an important public health issue for older adults. Dietary protein has been associated with maintenance of muscle mass, yet its relation to muscle strength remains unclear. We determined the association of dietary protein (total, animal, and plant) intake, measured by food frequency questionnaire, with change in grip strength over 6 years in 1,746 men and women from the Framingham Offspring cohort. Mean age at baseline was 58.7 years (range: 29–85), and mean total, animal, and plant protein intakes were 79, 57, and 22g/d, respectively. Adjusted baseline mean grip strength did not differ across quartiles of energy-adjusted total, animal or protein intake. Greater protein intake, regardless of source, was associated with less decrease in grip strength (all p for trend ≤.05): participants in the lowest quartiles lost 0.17% to 0.27% per year while those in the highest quartiles gained 0.52% to 0.60% per year. In analyses stratified by age, participants aged 60 years or older ( n = 646) had similar linear trends on loss of grip strength for total and animal (all p for trend <.03) but not plant protein, while the trends in participants younger than 60 years ( n = 896) were not statistically significant. Higher dietary intakes of total and animal protein were protective against loss of grip strength in community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older. Increasing intake of protein from these sources may help maintain muscle strength and support prevention of mobility impairment in older adults.

Background: The impact of dietary protein intake on lower extremity lean mass and strength in community-dwelling adult Americans is not fully understo

Background: In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that carotenoids may inhibit bone resorption and stimulate proliferation and differentiation of oste

In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that carotenoids may inhibit bone resorption, yet no previous study has examined individual carotenoid intake (other than β‐carotene) and the risk of fracture. We evaluated associations of total and individual carotenoid intake (α‐carotene, β‐carotene, β‐cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein + zeaxanthin) with incident hip fracture and nonvertebral osteoporotic fracture. Three hundred seventy men and 576 women (mean age, 75 ± 5 yr) from the Framingham Osteoporosis Study completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in 1988–1989 and were followed for hip fracture until 2005 and nonvertebral fracture until 2003. Tertiles of carotenoid intake were created from estimates obtained using the Willett FFQ adjusting for total energy (residual method). HRs were estimated using Cox‐proportional hazards regression, adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, height, total energy, calcium and vitamin D intake, physical activity, alcohol, smoking, multivitamin use, and current estrogen use. A total of 100 hip fractures occurred over 17 yr of follow‐up. Subjects in the highest tertile of total carotenoid intake had lower risk of hip fracture (p = 0.02). Subjects with higher lycopene intake had lower risk of hip fracture (p = 0.01) and nonvertebral fracture (p = 0.02). A weak protective trend was observed for total β‐carotene for hip fracture alone, but associations did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.10). No significant associations were observed with α‐carotene, β‐cryptoxanthin, or lutein + zeaxanthin. These results suggest a protective role of several carotenoids for bone health in older adults.