Jang Eun-Hee, Lee Seungmin
Department of Food and Nutrition, Sungshin Women's University, Seoul 01133, Korea.
Nutr Res Pract. 2025 Aug;19(4):635-647. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2025.19.4.635. Epub 2025 Aug 1.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Our study aimed to investigate the association of food group intake and the quality of diet with the risk of loss of muscle mass in Korean baby boomers using a large-scale national cohort data.
SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study included 1,280 Korean baby boomers (609 men and 671 women) who were born between 1955 and 1963 and who participated in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study from 2001 to 2018. A validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intake. The Korean Healthy Eating Index (K-HEI) and the Mediterranean-Type Diet scores helped to evaluate the quality of the diet. Bioelectrical impedance analysis at baseline and during follow-up visits was used to measure the total muscle mass. Muscle loss was defined as a ≥ 5% decrease in total muscle mass over 2 yrs. This prospective cohort study had a mean follow-up duration of 12.7 yrs. Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratio for muscle loss on the basis of the levels of dietary variables.
In men, high grain intake was significantly associated with an increased risk of muscle loss ( for trend = 0.023). In women, a high intake of dairy products was associated with a reduced risk of muscle loss ( for trend = 0.021). Additionally, higher fruit intake and K-HEI scores were inversely associated with muscle loss when adjusted only for age and total energy intake.
Our study demonstrates gender-specific associations of diet with the loss of muscle mass in the Korean baby boomers. Although high grain intake may increase the risk of loss of muscle mass in men, high dairy intake may provide protective effects in women. These findings emphasize the need for targeted dietary strategies to prevent age-related muscle loss.
背景/目的：我们的研究旨在利用大规模全国队列数据，调查韩国婴儿潮一代食物组摄入量和饮食质量与肌肉量流失风险之间的关联。
对象/方法：该研究纳入了1280名韩国婴儿潮一代（609名男性和671名女性），他们出生于1955年至1963年之间，并在2001年至2018年期间参与了韩国基因组与流行病学研究。使用经过验证的半定量食物频率问卷来评估饮食摄入量。韩国健康饮食指数（K-HEI）和地中海式饮食评分有助于评估饮食质量。在基线和随访期间采用生物电阻抗分析来测量总肌肉量。肌肉量流失定义为2年内总肌肉量减少≥5%。这项前瞻性队列研究的平均随访时间为12.7年。采用Cox比例风险模型，根据饮食变量水平估计肌肉量流失的风险比。
在男性中，高谷物摄入量与肌肉量流失风险增加显著相关（趋势P=0.023）。在女性中，高乳制品摄入量与肌肉量流失风险降低相关（趋势P=0.021）。此外，仅在调整年龄和总能量摄入量后，较高的水果摄入量和K-HEI评分与肌肉量流失呈负相关。
我们的研究表明，韩国婴儿潮一代的饮食与肌肉量流失存在性别特异性关联。虽然高谷物摄入量可能会增加男性肌肉量流失的风险，但高乳制品摄入量可能对女性具有保护作用。这些发现强调了制定针对性饮食策略以预防与年龄相关的肌肉量流失的必要性。
