2010 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Predictor of decline in higher-level functional capacity among elderly Japanese

Research Project

Project/Area Number	20790457
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Public health/Health science
Research Institution	National Institute of Health and Nutrition
Principal Investigator	TSUBOTA Megumi (宇津木恵) National Institute of Health and Nutrition, 栄養疫学プログラム, 研究員 (20419998)
Project Period (FY)	2008 – 2010
Keywords	疫学 / 栄養疫学 / 老人保健 / 公衆衛生 / 予防医学
Research Abstract	The aim of the study is to determine the characteristics of nutrient and food intake related to decline in higher-level functional capacity among community-dwelling elderly. One thousand fifty residents (mean age 67.5 years) at baseline were participated in the study. Higher-level functional decline was examined using the subscales of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence. During the 8-year follow-up, 27.5% of eligible subjects reported decline in a higher-level functional capacity. For nutrient and food intakes, lower intake of protein, marine origin n-3 PUFA, and seaweed was significantly associated with the risk of higher-level functional decline in the multivariate analysis. For dietary pattern analysis, those with light eating pattern were associated with the future risk of higher-level functional decline. Our finding may provide practical guidance for nutrition education for elderly due to easily understand for the public to interpret.