Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid-IdiPaz, Madrid, Spain.
CIBERESP (CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health), Madrid, Spain.
J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2022 Feb;13(1):210-219. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.12852. Epub 2021 Nov 9.
Red meat is a nutrient-dense source of protein fundamental for older adults; however, red meat is also high in detrimental components, including saturated fat. It is unclear whether habitual red meat consumption is associated with risk of frailty. This study aimed to examine the prospective association between the consumption of total, unprocessed, and processed red meat and the risk of frailty in older adults.
We analysed data from 85 871 women aged ≥60 participating in the Nurses' Health Study. Consumption of total, unprocessed, and processed red meat was obtained from repeated food frequency questionnaires administered between 1980 and 2010. Frailty was defined as having at least three of the following five criteria from the FRAIL scale: fatigue, low strength, reduced aerobic capacity, having ≥5 chronic illnesses, and unintentional weight loss ≥5%. The occurrence of frailty was assessed every four years from 1992 to 2014.
During 22 years of follow-up (median follow-up 14 years), we identified 13 279 incident cases of frailty. Women with a higher intake of red meat showed an increased risk of frailty after adjustment for lifestyle factors, medication use, and dietary factors. The relative risk (95% confidence interval) for one serving/day increment in consumption was 1.13 (1.08, 1.18) for total red meat, 1.08 (1.02, 1.15) for unprocessed red meat, and 1.26 (1.15, 1.39) for processed red meat. When each component of the frailty syndrome was individually examined, each of them was positively associated with total red meat consumption, except for the weight loss criterion. Replacing one serving/day of unprocessed red meat with other protein sources was associated with significantly lower risk of frailty; the risk reduction estimates were 22% for fish and 14% for nuts, while for replacement of processed red meat, the percentages were 33% for fish, 26% for nuts, 13% for legumes, and 16% for low-fat dairy.
Habitual consumption of unprocessed and processed red meat was associated with a higher risk of frailty. Replacement of red meat by other protein sources might reduce the risk of frailty. These findings are in line with dietary guidelines promoting diets that emphasize plant-based sources of protein.
红肉是一种营养丰富的蛋白质来源，对老年人至关重要；然而，红肉也含有大量有害成分，包括饱和脂肪。目前尚不清楚习惯性食用红肉与虚弱风险之间是否存在关联。本研究旨在探讨老年人中总摄入量、未加工和加工红肉与虚弱风险之间的前瞻性关联。
我们分析了 85871 名年龄≥60 岁的参与护士健康研究的女性的数据。总摄入量、未加工和加工红肉的摄入量来自于 1980 年至 2010 年期间反复进行的食物频率问卷调查。根据 FRAIL 量表的以下五个标准中的至少三个标准来定义虚弱：疲劳、低力量、减少有氧运动能力、患有≥5 种慢性疾病和非故意体重减轻≥5%。从 1992 年到 2014 年，每四年评估一次虚弱的发生情况。
在 22 年的随访期间（中位随访时间 14 年），我们发现了 13279 例虚弱的新发病例。调整生活方式因素、药物使用和饮食因素后，摄入更多红肉的女性虚弱风险增加。每天增加一份食用量的相对风险（95%置信区间）为总红肉 1.13（1.08，1.18），未加工红肉 1.08（1.02，1.15），加工红肉 1.26（1.15，1.39）。当单独检查虚弱综合征的每个组成部分时，除体重减轻标准外，每个组成部分都与总红肉摄入量呈正相关。用其他蛋白质来源代替每天一份的未加工红肉与虚弱风险显著降低相关；鱼类的风险降低估计值为 22%，坚果为 14%，而用鱼类代替加工红肉的百分比为 33%，坚果为 26%，豆类为 13%，低脂乳制品为 16%。
习惯性食用未加工和加工红肉与虚弱风险增加有关。用其他蛋白质来源代替红肉可能会降低虚弱的风险。这些发现与强调植物性蛋白质来源的饮食指南一致。
