Low Dietary Protein Intakes and Associated Dietary Patterns and Functional Limitations in an Aging Population: A NHANES analysis

Objective To investigate protein intakes across demographic characteristics in relation to dietary patterns and functional outcomes in older adults. Design Observational and cross-sectional study. Setting Non-institutionalized participants from the 2005–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants Data from 11,680 adults were categorized into 51–60 years (n= 4,016), 61–70 years (n=3,854), and 71 years and older (n=3,810) for analysis. Measurements Adults were stratified by meeting or not meeting the protein recommendation (0.8 g/kg/d) to compare demographics, diet quality with Healthy Eating Index– 2015, functional limitations, and other dietary intakes. Dietary recalls were collected using the multiple pass method. Data analyses were weighted to create a nationally–representative sample. Results Dietary protein intakes were significantly lower in older age groups, with up to 46% of the oldest adults not meeting the protein intake recommendation. Participants consuming protein below the recommended intake level had significantly poorer diet quality across all age groups (P