Association of major dietary patterns with muscle strength and muscle mass index in middle-aged men and women: Results from a cross-sectional study

Background: Dietary patterns may affect muscle mass, strength, and function; hence, we evaluated the association of major dietary patterns in relation to muscle mass index (MMI) and muscle strength in middle-aged adults. We hypothesized that unhealthy dietary patterns are associated with reduced muscle mass and muscle strength. Subjects: and methods: The present cross-sectional study recruited 270 adults (118 males and 152 females) aged between 18 and 75 years' old. Socio-demographic data, body composition and muscle strength were determined. MMI was calculated by total fat free mass (FFM) (kg)/height(2) (m). Dietary intake was assessed using a 168-item validated food frequency questionnaire. Factor analysis was conducted, and as a result, 3 factors were extracted. These factors were labeled as healthy, mixed and western dietary patterns. Results: After control for potential confounders, there were a positive trend between tertiles of healthy dietary pattern and muscle strength (p = 0.03). Moreover, we found that those who were in the third tertile of mixed dietary pattern compared to those at the first tertile had no significant relationship with muscle strength (p = 0.42) and MMI (p = 0.36) even after controlling for potential confounders. In contrast, the adherence to the Western dietary pattern was associated with reduced MMI (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Adherence to healthy dietary pattern might be associated with better muscle strength and greater adherence to Western pattern appears to reduce MMI. (c) 2020 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.