The association of mediterranean dietary pattern and sarcopenia: a cross-sectional study among diabetic patients aged over 55 years in Tehran

The current study investigates the association of the Mediterranean-style dietary pattern score (MSDPS) and sarcopenia prevalence among the diabetic population. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 238 diabetic patients, aged over 55 years. Sarcopenia was assessed based on muscle strength (handgrip test), muscle mass (bioelectrical impedance analysis), and physical performance (5-times sit-to-stand test). A food frequency questionnaire was used to calculate MSDPS. The multivariable adjusted logistic regression model was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of sarcopenia based on MSDPS and its components. A total of 238 participants (142 women and 96 men) were recruited in the current study. The mean (± SD) of age was 67.1 (6.7) years in total population. The mean total score of Mediterranean diet was also 23.4 (5.7) among participants. In the multivariable-adjusted model, the risk of sarcopenia was decreased across the tertiles of MSDPS (OR = 0.08; 95% CI: 0.01–0.45, P for trend = 0.001). Also, we observed a protective relationship between dairy score (OR = 0.74; 95% CI: 0.62–0.88, p-value = 0.001) and poultry score (OR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.55–0.92, p-value = 0.011) and the risk of sarcopenia. Adherence to the MDP is associated with a reduced risk of sarcopenia in older diabetic adults. These findings highlight the importance of promoting the MDP as a dietary strategy for preserving muscle health and mitigating sarcopenia risk in this population.