High-protein diets can stave off decline in elderly

The high-protein craze could hit a demographic not usually targeted by fad diets: the elderly. A new study has found that a diet high in animal protein may prevent functional decline in elderly people - particularly men.

Research suggests that ageing may reduce the body’s ability to absorb or process proteins, which led Dr Megumi Tsubota-Utsugi from Japan’s National Institute of Health and Nutrition to wonder whether older people may need to eat more protein in order to compensate for their decreased ability to absorb protein.

Dr Tsubota-Utsugi and colleagues from Tohoku University and Teikyo University designed a study to investigate the relationship between protein intake and future decline in higher-level function capacity in older people still living in the Japanese community.

More than 1000 participants completed food questionnaires at the start of the study and seven years later. They were divided into quartiles according to intake levels of total, animal and plant protein.

Men in the highest quartile of animal protein intake had a 39% decreased odds of experiencing higher-level functional decline than those in the lowest quartile. However, the same association was not seen in female participants. No consistent association was observed between plant protein intake and future higher-level functional decline in either sex.

“Identifying nutritional factors that contribute to maintaining higher-level functional capacity is important for prevention of future deterioration of activities of daily living,” said Dr Tsubota-Utsugi.

“Along with other modifiable health behaviours, higher protein intake could contribute to maintaining elderly functional capacity.”

The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. To read the full study, visit http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/jgs.12690.