Muscles, bones, and veggies: Associations between dietary patterns and osteosarcopenia Original paper

In this cross-sectional study, a lacto-ovo-vegetarian dietary pattern was associated with reduced odds of developing osteosarcopenia in Chinese older adults.

The association between dietary patterns — particularly a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet — and the prevalence of osteosarcopenia, which involves a loss of both bone density (osteopenia) and muscle mass (sarcopenia), among older adults.

9,429 community-dwelling older adults (average age of 68; 63% women, 37% men) from Northeast China.

In this cross-sectional study, the participants' dietary patterns were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and analyzed using principal component analysis, a statistical method used to identify prevalent patterns within datasets. Physical examinations and face-to-face interviews provided data on osteosarcopenia and other health metrics.

The researchers then evaluated the associations between dietary patterns and the risk of osteosarcopenia by comparing the participants with the highest adherence to a dietary pattern to those with the lowest. They also investigated how gait speed, handgrip strength, bone mineral density, skeletal muscle mass, and specific dietary components (i.e., food groups) influenced these outcomes.

The results were adjusted for various confounding factors, including demographics (sex, age, and ethnicity), socioeconomic status (education and income), lifestyle choices (smoking, drinking, and exercise), and health status (chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease).

The lacto-ovo-vegetarian pattern — which was characterized by high intake of vegetables, fresh milk, eggs, and dairy products — was associated with a 36% reduced odds of developing osteosarcopenia.

This beneficial association was also found in participants with low gait speed (−23%), handgrip strength (−23%), bone mineral density (−12%), and skeletal muscle mass (−30%), respectively.

The dietary components that most predicted this beneficial association were vegetables, fresh milk, and eggs, which explained 31%, 22%, and 14% of the association, respectively.

The findings suggested that the lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet could play a beneficial role in preventing osteosarcopenia among older adults. This diet may contribute to better bone and muscle health, highlighting its potential for dietary strategies aimed at older populations. However, more longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these relationships and further explore the mechanisms involved.

It’s worth noting that the lacto-ovo-vegetarian dietary pattern was not necessarily vegetarian (i.e., fully meat-free). Rather, the investigators were studying a dietary pattern that more closely resembles a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, that is, based around vegetarian foods like grains, vegetables, dairy, eggs, and nuts.