BACKGROUND. In order to prevent sarcopenia in community dwelling older adults a higher daily protein intake is needed. A new e-health strategy for dietary counseling was used with the aim to increase total daily protein intake to optimal levels (minimal 1.2 g/kg/d, optimal 1.5 g/kg/d) through use of regular food products.METHODS. The VITAMIN (VITal AMsterdam older adults IN the city) RCT included 245 community dwelling older adults (age ≥ 55y): control, exercise, and exercise plus dietary counseling (protein) group. Dietary intake was measured by a 3d dietary record at baseline and after 6 months intervention. In total 173 subjects were eligible for analysis. A two-way mixed ANOVA with time, group, and time*group interaction was performed. Post-hoc Bonferroni was performed with significance level at p<0.05.RESULTS. Mean age of the subjects was 72.1±6.3y, with a BMI of 25.7±4.2 of which 68% were females. ANOVA revealed significant effect of time, group and time*group (p<0.001). Table 1 shows higher protein intake over time in the dietary counseling group than either control (p=0.038) or exercise (p=0.008) group. Additional analyses revealed no change in vegetable protein intake. The higher protein intake was fully accounted for by animal protein intake. In the dietary counseling group 72% of subjects increased protein intake above the minimum intake level. DISCUSSION. This study shows digitally supported dietary counseling improves protein intake sufficiently in community dwelling older adults. Protein intake increase by counseling with e-health is a promising strategy for dieticians with the upcoming rising ageing population.
Rationale In order to prevent sarcopenia in community dwelling older adults a higher daily protein intake is needed. A new m-health strategy for dietary counseling was used with the aim to increase total daily protein intake to optimal levels (minimal 1.2 g/kg/d, optimal 1.5 g/kg/d) through use of regular food products.Methods The VITAMIN (VITal AMsterdam older adults IN the city) RCT included 245 community dwelling older adults (age ≥ 55y): control, exercise, and exercise plus dietary counseling (protein) group. Dietary intake was measured by a 3d dietary record at baseline and after 6 months intervention. In total 173 subjects were eligible for analysis. A two-way mixed ANOVA with time, group, and time*group interaction was performed. Post-hoc Bonferroni was performed with significance level at p<0.05.Results Mean age of the subjects was 72.1±6.3, with a BMI of 25.7±4.2 of which 68% were females. ANOVA revealed significant effect of time, group and time*group (p<0.001). Table 1 shows higher protein intake over time in the dietary counseling group than either control (p=0.038) or exercise (p=0.008) group. Additional analyses revealed no change in vegetable protein intake. The higher protein intake was fully accounted for by animal protein intake. In the dietary counseling group 72% of subjects increased protein intake above the minimum intake level.Conclusions This study shows digitally supported dietary counseling improves protein intake sufficiently in community dwelling older adults. Protein intake increase by counseling with m-health is a promising strategy for dieticians with the upcoming rising ageing population.Keywords: Aging, Sarcopenia, Functioning, Nutrition, Technology
Purpose: For prevention of sarcopenia and functional decline in community dwelling older adults, a higher daily protein intake is needed in addition to increased exercise. A new e-health strategy for dietary counseling was usedwith the aim to increase total daily protein intake to optimal levels (minimal 1.2 g/kg/day, optimal 1.5 g/kg/day) through use of regular food products.Methods: The VITAMIN (VITal AMsterdam older adults IN the city) RCT included 245 community dwelling older adults (age ≥ 55y): control, exercise, and exercise plus dietary counseling (protein) group. The dietary counselingintervention was based on behavior change and personalization was offered by a dietitian coach, by use of face-to-face contacts and videoconferencing during a 6-month intervention. Dietary intake was measured by a 3d dietaryrecord at baseline, after 6-month intervention and 12-month follow-up. The primary outcome was average daily protein intake (g/kg/day). Sub-group analysis and secondary outcomes included daily protein distribution, sources,product groups. A Linear Mixed Models (LMM) of repeated measures was performed with STATA v13.Results: Mean age of the 224 subjects was 72.0(6.5) years, a BMI of 26.0(4.2) and 71% were female. The LMM showed a significant effect of time and time*group (p<0.001). The dietary counseling group showed higher protein intakethan either control (1.41 vs 1.13 g/kg/day; β +0.32; p<0.001) or exercise group (1.41 vs 1.11 g/kg/day; β +0.33; p<0.001) after 6-month intervention and 12-month follow-up (1.24 vs 1.05; β +0.23; p<0.001 | 1.24 vs 1.07 β +0.19;p<0.001). Additional analysis revealed the higher protein intake was fully accounted for by animal protein intake.Conclusions: This study shows digitally supported dietary counseling improves protein intake sufficiently incommunity dwelling older adults with use of regular food products. Protein intake increase by personalizedcounseling with e-health is a promising strategy for dietitians with the upcoming rising ageing population.Keywords: Ageing, Behavior change, Nutrition, Physical Functioning, Sarcopenia
Along with the rapidly growing number of disabled people participating in competitive sports, there is an increased need for (para)medical support in disability sports. Disabled athletes experience differences in body composition, metabolism, training load and habitual activity patterns compared with non-disabled athletes. Moreover, it has been suggested that the well-recognized athlete triad, and low energy availability and low bone mineral density in particular, is even a greater challenge in disabled athletes. Therefore, it is not surprising that sport nutritionists of disabled athletes have expressed an urgency for increased knowledge and insights on the nutritional demands of this group. This project aims to investigate energy expenditure, dietary intake, body composition and bone health of disabled athletes, ultimately leading to nutritional guidelines that promote health and optimal sports performance for this unique population. For this purpose, we will conduct a series of studies and implementation activities that are inter-related and build on the latest insights from sports practice, technology and science. Our international consortium is highly qualified to achieve this goal. It consists of knowledge institutes including world-leading experts in sport and nutrition research, complemented with practical insights from nutritionists working with disabled athletes and the involvement of athletes and teams through the Dutch and Norwegian Olympic committees. The international collaboration, which is a clear strength of this project, is not only focused on research, but also on the optimization of professional practice and educational activities. In this regard, the outcomes of this project will be directly available for practical use by the (para)medical staff working with disabled athletes, and will be extensively communicated to sport teams to ensure that the new insights are directly embedded into daily practice. The project outcomes will also be incorporated in educational activities for dietetics and sport and exercise students, thereby increasing knowledge of future practitioners.