Associations between dietary patterns and physical fitness among Chinese elderly

Abstract

Objective: To explore the relationship between dietary patterns and physical fitness among older Chinese (≥60 years) individuals. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Dietary data were collected by a simplified semi-quantitative FFQ. The 30-s Chair Stand test (30sCST), 30-s Arm Curl test (30sACT), 8-foot Time Up-and-Go test (8fTUAGT) and 6-min Walking test (6mWT) were used to assess physical fitness. Dietary patterns were obtained by factor analysis. The association between dietary patterns and physical fitness was explored by multiple logistic regression. Setting: Six communities (villages) of three districts in Liaocheng City (Shandong Province, China). Participants: A total of 596 residents were recruited from April to May 2017. Results: Among 556 residents who were finally enrolled, 196 were men (35 %) and 360 were women (65 %). Three dietary patterns were identified: ‘Western’, ‘Vegetarian’ and ‘Modern’. The 30sACT revealed that men in the fourth quartile of the Western pattern were less likely to be classified in the ‘high-level’ group, but men in the fourth quartile of the Vegetarian pattern were classified in the high-level group. The 6mWT revealed that men in the fourth quartile of the Modern pattern were classified in the high-level group. These associations were independent of confounding factors. Conclusions: Adherence to the Vegetarian pattern and Modern pattern may be protective factors for maintaining good physical fitness in older Chinese individuals. The Western pattern may lead to poor physical fitness in this population.

Effects of Physical Activity on Daily Physical Function in Chinese Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study from CHARLS

“…Physical function in middle-aged and older adults is an important determinant in maintaining and improving their functional capacity [ 2 ]. However, physical functions such as muscle strength, postural balance, and aerobic capacity continue to decline in middle-aged and older adults as they age [ 3 , 4 ]. Many studies have shown that impaired daily physical function has become a common health problem among middle-aged and elderly people [ 5 ].…”

Profiles of Physical Activity and Physical Performance in Matched Religious Vegetarian and Nonvegetarian Women: A Preliminary Observational Study in Taiwan

“…Moreover, IPAQ-SF is the most common method of physical activity assessment [ 66 ], and it facilitates comparisons with other studies. Finally, we adopted a simple dichotomy of dietary habits, i.e., vegetarians and nonvegetarians, rather than a specific food or nutrient intake because there may be complex interactions between foods [ 23 ]. The dichotomy of dietary habits can highlight the impact of overall diets on physical activity levels and physical performance, which is of particular concern for the general population adhering to or attempting to practice religious vegetarianism [ 1 ].…”

“…The dichotomy of dietary habits can highlight the impact of overall diets on physical activity levels and physical performance, which is of particular concern for the general population adhering to or attempting to practice religious vegetarianism [ 1 ]. Furthermore, dietary habits can help prevent or reduce the probability of recall bias toward certain foods and nutrients [ 23 , 53 ].…”

“…Third, an in-depth dietary assessment was not used in the present study. Although advantages of the dichotomy of dietary habits have been proposed [ 23 , 53 ], the absence of a dietary assessment makes it impossible to further rule out the impact of possible between-group differences in caloric and nutrient intakes in our sample on physical activity and physical performance. Fourthly, mental health has been suggested to influence physical activity [ 68 ].…”

“…Two small sample studies in the Netherlands and the US showed that vegetarians did not show lower handgrip strength [ 21 ] and poorer aerobic capacity [ 22 ], respectively, in institutionalized older adults and in community-dwelling older women. More recently, two Asian cross-sectional studies have examined muscle strength in community-dwelling vegetarian and nonvegetarian older adults: one reported that there was no significant difference in biceps strength between vegetarian and nonvegetarian Chinese women [ 23 ], and the other showed that vegetarians had lower handgrip strength than nonvegetarians in Sri Lankan women [ 24 ].…”