Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Nutritional Strategies To Optimise Musculoskeletal Health For Fall And Fracture Prevention: Looking Beyond Calcium, Vitamin D And Protein, James Webster, Jack Dalla Via, Christina Langley, Cassandra Smith, Craig Sale, Marc Sim

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Falls and osteoporotic fractures are a major public health problem, particularly among older adults. A third of individuals aged 65 years and over fall at least once each year, with up to 20 % of these resulting in serious injury, including fracture. In conjunction with regular exercise, the importance of diet for musculoskeletal health has largely focused upon calcium, vitamin D, and protein, particularly in the context of preventing falls and fractures. Whilst there is evidence for the benefits of these nutrients for musculoskeletal health, other aspects of the diet remain largely underexplored. For example, vegetables are rich sources of …

Dietary Nitrate Intake Is Associated With Muscle Function In Older Women, Marc Sim, Joshua R. Lewis, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Catherine P. Bondonno, Amanda Devine, Kun Zhu, Peter Peeling, Richard L. Prince, Jonathan M. Hodgson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

In younger individuals, dietary nitrate supplementation has been shown to improve short‐term vascular and muscle function. The role of higher habitual nitrate intake as part of a typical diet on muscle function in ageing has not been investigated. A cross‐sectional study of relationships between dietary nitrate and measures of muscle function in older community‐dwelling Australian women (n = 1420, ≥70 years) was undertaken.

Methods

Participants completed a semi‐quantitative food frequency questionnaire assessing dietary intake over the previous year. Total nitrate from vegetables and non‐vegetable sources was calculated from a validated instrument that quantified the nitrate content of food …