Concurrent association of dietary pattern and physical activity with sarcopenia in menopausal women

Objective: To examine concurrent association of dietary pattern and physical activity with sarcopenia in menopausal women. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 250 menopausal women aged 45-75 were studied. Dietary intakes were assessed with a validated 147-item food-frequency questionnaire, and dietary patterns were identified by a principal components analysis method. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Sarcopenia was defined, according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) criteria, as the presence of low muscle mass plus low muscle performance, or low physical strength. Results: Two major dietary patterns were identified: a prudent pattern (high in vegetable, vegetable oil, fish, dairy, legume, nut, animal protein and fruit), and a Western pattern (high in commercial beverage, hydrogenated fat, sugar, sweet-snack, potato, tea-coffee and refined grain). After adjusting for age, we found a significant interaction of the Western pattern with physical activity level in terms of the odds of sarcopenia (p-interaction = 0.01), which was higher in active than inactive subjects. However, there was no significant difference between inactive and active participants in the prudent pattern (p-interaction = 0.90). Conclusion: physical activity and adherence to the Western dietary pattern is associated with higher odds of sarcopenia among menopausal women.