Antioxidants reduce loss of grip strength, gait speed in adults

Greater intake of antioxidants contributes to an increase in grip strength and faster gait speed in adults over time, reveals a recent study.

“Lower antioxidant serum concentrations have been linked to declines in lean mass and physical function in older adults,” the investigators said.

Participants (mean age, 61±9 years) with a valid food frequency questionnaire at the index examination and up to two prior examinations, with two or more measures of grip strength (n=2,452) and/or gait speed (n=2,422) assessed over three subsequent examination, were included in this prospective cohort study.

The investigators used annualized change in grip strength (kg/y) and in gait speed (m/s/y) over the follow-up period. They also performed linear regression to measure β coefficients and p values, adjusting for covariates.

Median intakes across available examinations were 209 mg/d (interquartile range [IQR], 133.1–395.2) for vitamin C, 27.1 mg/d (IQR, 7.4–199.0) for vitamin E, and 15.3 mg/d (IQR, 10.4–21.3) for total carotenoid. The mean follow-up time was approximately 12±2 years (range, 4.5–15.4 years).

Higher intakes of total carotenoids, lycopene, and lutein + zeaxanthin in the sex-combined sample correlated with higher annualized change in grip strength (β per 10-mg higher intake/d: range, 0.0316–0.1223 kg/y). Except for vitamin C, all antioxidants contributed to faster gait speed (β per 10-mg higher intake/d: range, 0.00008–0.0187 m/s/y).

These findings highlight “the need for a randomized controlled trial of dietary antioxidants and their effect on muscle strength and physical function,” the investigators said.