Higher dietary live microbe intake is associated with a lower risk of sarcopenia

Objective This study aimed to investigate the potential association between dietary live microbe intake and sarcopenia. Methods Data from 5,368 participants were gathered from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Dietary information was assessed using a self-report questionnaire. The participants were categorized into low, medium, and high dietary live microbe groups. Sarcopenia was defined according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) definition (appendicular skeletal muscle mass/body mass index < 0.789 for men and < 0.512 for women). Multivariate regression analysis and stratified analyses were performed. Results After adjusting for potential confounding factors, individuals in the high dietary live microbe group exhibited a lower prevalence of sarcopenia compared to those in the low dietary live microbe group. The adjusted odds ratio (with 95% confidence intervals) was 0.63 (0.44∼0.89) (p for trend <0.05). Subgroup analyses indicated a potential difference in the impact of dietary live microbe intake on sarcopenia between individuals with and without diabetes (p for interaction=0.094). Conclusion Higher dietary live microbe intake was associated with a lower risk of sarcopenia.