Scientific Abstract
Objective
We evaluated the relationship of pork consumption on estimated nutrient intakes, diet quality, and biomarkers of health among Korean adults, 65+ years.
Design
Cross-sectional analysis of the 2016–2020 data cycles of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).
Subject/Setting
Older Korean adults, aged 65+ years.
Intervention
None. Exposure was pork consumption. 24-hour dietary recall data were used to group individuals as “consumers” or “non-consumers” of pork and estimate nutrient intakes and diet quality.
Main Outcome Measures
Energy and nutrient intakes, diet quality, blood biomarkers of health (hemoglobin, hematocrit, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, hs-CRP, creatinine, BUN, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides), and handgrip strength.
Statical Analyses
Differences in pork consumers and non-consumers were assessed using chi-square tests for categorical variables and reported as the numbers of subjects (n) and percentage of the population (%). Data for continuous variables were assessed using linear regression and reported as the mean ± standard error (SE). Cross-sectional relationships between data derived from the nutrition survey and medical examination by pork consumption (consumers vs. non-consumers) were assessed using linear regression analysis, adjusting for age and gender.
Results
Pork intake was associated with higher estimated intakes of energy and all nutrients except vitamins A, B6, B12, and retinol in males and vitamin B6 in females. Diet quality, assessed using the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI), was higher among male (67.91 ± 0.93 vs. 65.74 ± 0.74; P < 0.05) and female (70.88 ± 0.96 vs. 67.00 ± 0.73; P < 0.0001) consumers vs. non-consumers of pork. Significant differences in biomarkers of health were noted between the two groups, however most clinically irrelevant and many were inconsistent between genders. Handgrip strength was higher among male (33.84 ± 0.52 vs. 31.91 ± 0.40; P < 0.01) and female (20.76 ± 0.34 vs. 19.99 ± 0.22; P < 0.0001) consumers.
Applications/Conclusions
In older Korean adults, pork consumption was associated with increased estimated intakes of energy and most nutrients, improved diet quality scores, markers of health status, and better handgrip strength.
