Publication: The influence of nutrition on muscle strength in different community-dwelling older adults in China
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Date
2025
Authors
Chun, Zhang Yi
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Abstract
This study assessed the relationship between dietary quality and muscle strength in Chinese
community-dwelling older adults. Through a survey of the older adults, we screened for
sarcopenia and assessed dietary patterns and physical activity levels to provide insights into
the relation to sarcopenia.
A total of 50 participants are from Gansu Province, China completed the Dietary Quality
Questionnaire (DQQ) and the 5times sit-to-stand (5xSTS) muscle strength test. Participants
also completed the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) to assess PA levels. The
results of these studies showed no differences in variables between the urban and rural groups,
meaning that health and dietary variables were broadly similar except for a significant
difference in age between the urban and rural older adults where the rural group were older by
6.1 y (p = 0.013). Correlation tables examined the relationships between various health,
physical activity and dietary variables in 50 older participants. The main findings indicated
several significant correlations at both the 0.05 and 0.01 levels, but only age were significantly
correlated to 5xSTS values (r = 1, p =0.56) . There were 28 individuals that completed the
5xSTS in more than 12 seconds indicating poor muscle strength and are considered as having
probable sarcopenia. More tests are needed to confirm sarcopenia such as a muscle mass
assessment. Overall, the study indicated that as much as 56% of older adults screened may be
sarcopenic and although DDQ and PASE was not significantly correlated to muscle strength,
more precise study tools are required in future studies.