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PROTEIN INTAKE AND THE RISK OF PRE-FRAILTY AND FRAILTY IN NORWEGIAN OLDER ADULTS. THE TROMS  STUDY 1994–2016

D.M. Konglevoll, A. Hjartåker, L.A. Hopstock, B.H. Strand, M. Thoresen, L.F. Andersen, M.H. Carlsen

J Frailty Aging 2022;11(3)256-266

Background: Protein intake is suggested as an important dietary factor in the prevention of frailty, however, the influence of lifelong intake remains unclear. Objectives: The present study investigated the relationship between daily protein intake and patterns of protein intake over 21 years and the risk of pre-frailty/frailty. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: The population-based Tromsø Study in Tromsø municipality, Norway. Participants: In total, 1,906 women and 1,820 men aged >45 years in 1994 who participated in both Tromsø4 (1994–95) and Tromsø7 (2015–16). Measurements: Frailty status in Tromsø7 was measured according to Fried’s phenotype, classifying participants as “robust” (frailty components present: 0), “pre-frail” (1–2) or “frail” (>3). Daily intake of protein was estimated from self-reported habitual dietary intake using food frequency questionnaires and assessed as grams per kilogram bodyweight (g/kg BW) and per megajoule energy intake (g/MJ). The protein–frailty association was assessed via longitudinal and cross-sectional multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results: The prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty in this study was 27% and 1.0%, respectively. Longitudinal analysis showed that the odds of pre-frailty/frailty decreased by 57% (odds ratio (OR) = 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.31;0.58, p<0.001) with the increase in intake of one additional gram of dietary protein per kg BW. The results obtained from cross-sectional analysis were similar. Tracking analysis showed that, compared to a stable high intake of protein in g/kg BW over time, other patterns of protein intake increased the risk of pre-frailty/frailty. No associations were found between intake of protein in g/MJ and pre-frailty/frailty. Conclusions: Intake of protein in g/kg BW both in mid-life and later in life was inversely associated with pre-frailty/frailty in older adults. This emphasizes the importance of an adequate protein intake to facilitate healthy ageing in Norwegian older adults.

CITATION:
D.M. Konglevoll ; A. Hjartåker ; L.A. Hopstock ; B.H. Strand ; M. Thoresen ; L.F. Andersen ; M.H. Carlsen (2022): Protein Intake and the Risk of Pre-Frailty and Frailty in Norwegian Older Adults. The Tromsø Study 1994–2016. The Journal of Frailty and Aging (JFA). http://dx.doi.org/10.14283/jfa.2022.16

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