Background: Almost no studies have investigated the relationship between food intake measured at middle age and future disability.
Objective: To examine the association of meat, fish and egg intake with risk of subsequent mortality and/or future decline in activities of daily living (ADL) among the elderly.
Methods: The cohort consisted of 2,316 Japanese individuals aged 47-60 at the baseline who were randomly selected throughout Japan and followed up for 19 years from 1980.
Results: Those who ate meat at least once every 2 days were younger, there were more men, daily drinkers, professional workers and urban residents compared to those who ate meat less than once every 2 days. Over 19 years of follow-up, 75 participants became dependent due to impaired ADL. A higher intake of meat was associated with a statistically significant decrease in impaired ADL occurrence (odds ratio = 0.61, 95% confidence intervals 0.38-0.99, p = 0.04). Fish and egg intake were not associated with any difference in impaired ADL occurrence. None of the 3 foods were associated with any changes in mortality.
Conclusion: A higher intake of meat may prevent impaired ADL occurrence, although this was not associated with a lower mortality.