The association of Japanese and Mediterranean dietary patterns with muscle weakness in middle-aged and older Japanese individuals is unclear. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between Japanese and Mediterranean dietary patterns and muscle weakness in community-dwelling, middle-aged, and older Japanese individuals (enrolled from 2007 to 2011). Based on the dietary consumption information obtained from the brief self-administered diet history questionnaire, we assessed adherence to the Japanese (12-component revised Japanese diet index (rJDI12)) and Mediterranean (alternate Mediterranean diet (aMed) score) dietary patterns. Muscle weakness was defined as handgrip strength <28 and <18 kg for men and women, respectively. Logistic regression was used to ascertain the relationship between dietary pattern and muscle weakness. In our study, with 6031 participants, the Japanese, but not Mediterranean, dietary pattern was inversely associated with muscle weakness (p for trend = 0.031 and 0.242, respectively). In the model adjusted for confounders, including energy intake, the highest quartile of rJDI12 scores (9-12 points), and the rJDI12 scores, entered as continuous variables, showed an independent association (odds ratio (95% CI), 0.703 (0.507-0.974), and 0.933 (0.891-0.977), respectively). Our findings showed that adherence to the Japanese dietary pattern is associated with a low prevalence of muscle weakness.
Keywords: dietary patterns; frailty; geriatrics; nutritional epidemiology; sarcopenia.