E. Kelaiditi, A. Jennings, C.J. Steves, J. Skinner, A. Cassidy, A.J. MacGregor, A.A. Welch
Osteoporos Int. 2016;27(11):3251-3260
The loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function with age are contributing risk factors for the onset of sarcopenia, frailty, osteoporosis, fractures, and mortality. Nutrition may affect the progression and trajectory of these changes in skeletal muscle but the role of the micronutrient-rich Mediterranean diet (MD) has hardly been investigated in relation to these muscle outcomes.
We examined associations between the MD score (MDS) and FFM% (fat-free mass / weight × 100), FFMI (fat-free mass/height2), hand grip strength, and leg explosive power (LEP, watts/kg) in a cross-sectional study in 2570 women aged 18-79 years from the TwinsUK study. Measurements of body composition were made using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and dietary intake assessed by a food frequency questionnaire. FFM%, FFMI, grip strength, and LEP were compared across quartiles of the MDS after adjustment for covariates, with CRP measured in a subgroup (n = 1658).
Higher adherence to the MDS was positively associated with measurements of muscle outcomes, with significant differences of 1.7 % for FFM% and 9.6 % for LEP (P trend <0.001), comparing extreme quartiles of intake, but not with grip strength or CRP concentrations.




Comment: For the first time in a northern European population, it has been observed a significant positive association between the MDS and FFM% and LEP in healthy women that are potentially clinically relevant, independent of the factors known to influence muscle outcomes. These findings emphasize the potential role for overall diet quality based on the MD in the prevention of age-related loss of skeletal muscle outcomes.