The Effect of Meat Intake as a Part of the DASH Diet on Indices of Muscular Fitness, Body Composition and Metabolic Health in Adults 65 and Older: A Controlled-Feeding Systems-Biology Study

Age-related changes in body composition, muscular fitness, and metabolic health resulting in the onset of obesity, sarcopenia, and chronic diseases are profound public health issues that are in need of immediate attention. Effective and feasible methods, such as dietary therapies, are needed to improve health in older adults that in turn lead to independence, enhanced quality of life and reduced hospitalizations. Diet quality and dietary protein intake are vital for maintaining body composition, muscle mass and improved physical performance. Malnutrition in dietary protein intake is a major cause of reduced muscle mass, strength, and function in older adults. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern is a high-quality therapeutic diet known to improve health status in various diverse and at-risk populations resulting in improved heart health, maintained cognitive function and reductions in metabolic diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The primary protein recommendations of the DASH diet are poultry and fish and it is recommended to decrease or exclude red meats from the diet. However, studies have demonstrated that lean red meat incorporated into a DASH-like diet doesn't exacerbate cardiovascular health indices in adults, indicating that lean red meat can be included in the DASH diet without negative effects on heart health. Although studies have reported on the DASH diet in older adults, no studies have investigated the effect of the DASH diet containing lean red meat on measures of body composition, muscle mass or metabolic health under controlled-feeding conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the DASH diet containing daily intakes of lean red meat on indicators of body composition, muscular fitness and biomarkers of metabolic health in adults 65 and older using controlled-feeding and systems biology approaches.