Animal protein intake is associated with higher-level functional capacity in elderly adults

This study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society 2014 Mar;62(3):426-34

 

Study title and authors:

Animal protein intake is associated with higher-level functional capacity in elderly adults: the ohasama study.

Imai E, Tsubota-Utsugi M, Kikuya M, Satoh M, Inoue R, Hosaka M, Metoki H, Fukushima N, Kurimoto A, Hirose T, Asayama K, Imai Y, Ohkubo T.

Section of the Dietary Reference Intakes, Department of Nutritional Epidemiology, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24576149

The objective of the study was to determine the association between protein intake and risk of higher-level functional decline in older adults. The study lasted for seven years and included 1,007 participants, average age 67.4 years, who were free of functional decline at the start of the study.

The study found:
(a) Men who consumed the most animal protein had a 59% reduced risk of higher-level functional decline compared to men who consumed the least animal protein.
(b) Women who consumed the most animal protein had a 24% reduced risk of higher-level functional decline compared to women who consumed the least animal protein.
(c) No consistent association was observed between plant protein intake and future higher-level functional decline in either sex.

Higher animal protein intake is associated with lower risk of decline in higher-level functional capacity in elderly adults.