Study on the correlation between dietary patterns and bone health among rural elderly people in Qingdao

To evaluate the relationship between dietary patterns and bone health in the elderly, and to guide the elderly to establish a reasonable dietary pattern and improve bone health.

This cross-sectional study included 544 elderly individuals aged 60 and above in rural areas of Qingdao. Dietary patterns were analyzed using factor analysis. A logistic regression model was employed to assess the relationship between dietary patterns and osteoporosis. The correlation between body composition and T-score was analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation method in the R software.

A total of four main dietary patterns were identified in this study, which included a balanced dietary pattern, a high-protein dietary pattern, a condiment dietary pattern, and a snack dietary pattern. After adjusting for potential confounding factors (age, residence status), it was found that a high-protein dietary pattern was positively correlated with bone health at the Q3 level (OR (95%CI) 0.435(0.190, 0.997), but not correlated at the Q4 level. The high-protein dietary pattern was significantly positively correlated with several body composition parameters, including intracellular fluid, extracellular fluid, total body water, protein, muscle mass, minerals, fat-free mass, skeletal muscle, left-hand muscle mass, right-hand muscle mass, and trunk muscle mass (all P < 0.05). Additionally, these body composition factors were positively correlated with osteoporosis T-scores.

There is a correlation between dietary patterns and osteoporosis; a moderate amount of the high-protein dietary pattern is beneficial to the bone health of the elderly.