Background: Dietary surveys suggest that many older, community-dwelling adults consume insufficient dietary protein, which may contribute to the age-related loss of lean mass (LM). Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the association between dietary protein and changes in total LM and nonbone appendicular LM (aLM) in older, community-dwelling men and women. Design: Dietary protein intake was assessed by using an interviewer-administered 108-item food-frequency questionnaire in men and women aged 70–79 y who were participating in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study (n = 2066). Changes in LM and aLM over 3 y were measured by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The association between protein intake and 3-y changes in LM and aLM was examined by using multiple linear regression analysis adjusted for potential confounders. Results: After adjustment for potential confounders, energy-adjusted protein intake was associated with 3-y changes in LM [β (SE): 8.76 (3.00), P = 0.004] and aLM [β (SE): 5.31 (1.64), P = 0.001]. Participants in the highest quintile of protein intake lost ≈40% less LM and aLM than did those in the lowest quintile of protein intake (x̄ ± SE: −0.501 ± 0.106 kg compared with −0.883 ± 0.104 kg for LM; −0.400 ± 0.058 kg compared with −0.661 ± 0.057 kg for aLM; P for trend < 0.01). The associations were attenuated slightly after adjustment for change in fat mass, but the results remained significant. Conclusion: Dietary protein may be a modifiable risk factor for sarcopenia in older adults and should be studied further to determine its effects on preserving LM in this population.

The effectiveness of calcium in retarding bone loss in older postmenopausal women is unclear. Earlier work suggested that the women who were most likely to benefit from calcium supplementation were those with low calcium intakes.

Vitamin D intake should be sufficient to maintain calcium absorption and prevent increased parathyroid secretion throughout the year. To determine the level of intake that achieved the latter in elderly women, we studied the interrelations among vitamin D intake, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels, and parathyroid hormone concentrations in a cross-sectional study of 333 healthy, white, postmenopausal women with low median calcium (408 mg a day) and vitamin D (112 IU a day) intakes who lived in Massachusetts.

Background: Whole-grain intake has been inversely associated with the metabolic syndrome in middle-aged populations, but the association has not been investigated in older adults. The metabolic consequence of consuming high whole-grain diets may differ in elderly persons, who are prone to greater insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance. Objective: The aim of the present study was to examine the cross-sectional association between whole- and refined-grain intake, cardiovascular disease risk factors, prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, and the incidence of cardiovascular disease mortality in the same cohort of older adults. Design: The nutritional status of 535 healthy persons aged 60–98 y was determined from 1981 to 1984. The subjects kept a 3-d food record and had their blood tested for metabolic risk factors. The metabolic syndrome was defined based on criteria set by the third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program. The vital status of the subjects was identified in October 1995. Results: The results showed a significant inverse trend between whole-grain intake and the metabolic syndrome (P for trend = 0.005) and mortality from cardiovascular disease (P for trend = 0.04), independent of demographic, lifestyle, and dietary factors. Fasting glucose concentrations and body mass index decreased across increasing quartile categories of whole-grain intake (P for trend = 0.01 and 0.03, respectively), independent of confounders, whereas intake of refined grain was positively associated with higher fasting glucose concentrations (P for trend = 0.04) and a higher prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (P for trend = 0.01). Conclusion: Whole-grain intake is a modifiable dietary risk factor, and older and young adults should be encouraged to increase their daily intake to ≥3 servings/d.