The Association between Mediterranean Diet and the Risk of Falls and Physical Function Indices in Older Type 2 Diabetic People Varies by Age.

Sigal Tepper, Amit Alter Sivashensky, Danit Rivkah Shahar, Diklah Geva, Tali Cukierman-Yaffe

Journal: Nutrients 2018;10(6):767

PMID: 29899221

Plain Language Summary

Diabetes is associated with high risk for disability, and accelerated rate of decline in physical capacity. The aim of the study is to examine whether a higher adherence to a Mediterranean Diet in a Mediterranean country is associated with walking speed, better physical function and decreased risk for falls. This cross-sectional study includes data of 117 individuals, of which 40% were females, with Type 2 diabetes aged over 60 years. Results indicate that those individuals with a higher adherence to the Mediterranean Diet were at lower risk for falls and had greater muscle strength. The relationship between physical performance measured by walking speed, walking distance and Mediterranean Diet differed by age. Authors conclude that there is an association between the balances indices, risk for falls, muscle strength, aerobic capacity, and Mediterranean Diet among 60+ individuals with diabetes.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Diabetes and dysglycemia increase the risk of frailty and decreased physical abilities. Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) may reduce this risk. We hypothesized that adherence to the MD is associated with physical function in older type-2 diabetic patients and that the association is stratified by age.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We recruited type-2 diabetes patients aged >60 years at the Center for Successful Aging with Diabetes at Sheba Medical Center. Health status and demographic data were obtained from medical records. Food Frequency Questionnaire was used for nutritional assessment and calculation of MD score. Physical function indices were determined by a physiotherapist and included: Berg Balance test, Timed Get-Up-and-Go, 6-min walk (6 MW), 10-m walk (10 MW), Four Square Step Test, 30-s chair stand and Grip strength, and activities and instrumental activities of daily living. Among 117 participants (age 70.6 ± 6.5), high adherence to MD was associated with better score on functional tests (low vs. high MD adherence: 9.7% vs. 25%, ANOVA = 0.02). A significant age by MD interaction was found: a higher adherence to MD was associated with a better 6 MW (low vs. high: 387 ± 35 m vs. 483 ± 26 m; = 0.001) and higher 10 MW (low vs. high: 1.8 ± 0.16 m/s vs. 2.0 ± 0.13 m/s; = 0.02) in participants aged >75 years. These associations remained significant after controlling for gender, age, BMI, and physical activity.

CONCLUSION

In the current study, we showed relationships between strength, physical performance, and MD among older diabetic patients. Future studies are needed to confirm this association and establish temporal relationships.

Address: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Tel Hai Academic College, Upper Galilee 1220800, Israel. [email protected].; Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. [email protected].; The S. Daniel Abraham Center for Health and Nutrition, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8443944, Israel. [email protected].; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8443944, Israel. [email protected].; Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. [email protected].; The Center for Successful Aging with Diabetes, Endocrinology Institute, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 52621, Israel. [email protected].

DOI: 10.3390/nu10060767

Patient Centred Factor

Triggers: Mediterranean diet

Clinical Imbalances

Hormonal Structural Integrity and Musculoskeletal

Laboratory Testing

Blood

Modifiable Lifestyle Factors

Diet Exercise and movement

Nutrition Evidence Keywords

Diabetes BMI Physical activity Hypertension Insulin HbA1c Body mass index Type 2 diabetes Haemoglobin A1c

Link outs

Free resources

Full Text Sources:

Medical:

https://medlineplus.gov/falls.html

Other Literature Sources:

https://scite.ai/reports/29899221

MeSH Terms: Accidental Falls, Age Factors, Aged, Cross-Sectional Studies, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Diet, Healthy, Diet, Mediterranean, Female, Geriatric Assessment, Humans, Israel, Linear Models, Male, Middle Aged, Multivariate Analysis, Muscle Strength, Nutritional Status, Patient Compliance, Postural Balance, Protective Factors, Risk Factors