Abstract
Purpose
Sarcopenia is an age-related disease that is related to nutritional intake and chronic low-grade inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dietary intake, inflammatory markers and sarcopenia among the community-dwelling elderly individuals.
Methods
A total of 1001 elderly individuals aged 60 and above were recruited. According to the criteria established by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019, assessing the presence of sarcopenia and using a Food Frequency Questionnaire to evaluate daily dietary intake. Serum levels of inflammatory markers were measured using the ELISA method.
Results
The prevalence of sarcopenia among the 1001 participants was 19.60%. Multivariate analysis revealed that leucine, methionine, threonine, histidine, aspartic acid, calcium, zinc, and vitamin C were protective factors against the occurrence of sarcopenia. Higher dietary inflammatory index scores were associated with higher risk of sarcopenia (OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.12–2.47). Tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.02–1.07) was a risk factor for sarcopenia and was associated with lower skeletal muscle mass, strength, and physical function. Conversely, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.74–0.94) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) (OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.61–0.91) served as protective factors against sarcopenia.
Conclusions
This cross-sectional study revealed alterations in amino acid and micronutrient intake among elderly individuals with sarcopenia. The levels of TWEAK were associated with increased risk of sarcopenia, whereas IGF-1 and GST were associated with reduced risk of sarcopenia.