Association of dietary protein intake with skeletal muscle mass in older adults: A systematic review

Protein supplementation has been shown to be effective in attenuating the loss of lean body mass and muscle mass in older adults; however, its benefits as dietary protein remain unclear. This systematic review of observational studies aimed to investigate the association of dietary protein intake with skeletal muscle mass (SM). Observational studies that investigated the association of dietary protein intake with SM in older adults were retrieved from MEDLINE, Web of Science and Cochrane‐CENTRAL databases. Of the 26 analyses in the 17 studies, 18 showed a significant positive association. In cohort studies, 55.6% (five of nine analyses) showed a significant positive association. Of these, four analyses were adjusted for well‐known confounding factors, used energy‐adjusted protein intake, and used the amount of change of SM between baseline and follow‐up as the outcome, with two of them showing a significant positive association. Although 69.2% (18 of 26 analyses) of the 17 studies showed a significant positive association between dietary protein intake and SM in older adults, most studies were cross‐sectional and had at least one important methodological limitation. Therefore, we could not draw any conclusions. Thus, well‐designed cohort studies are needed in future to identify the association between dietary protein intake and SM in older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 1077–1083 .