To ascertain whether habitual green tea consumption is associated with sarcopenia among Japanese older adults, using the screening tool for sarcopenia (SARC-F). This cross-sectional study in Mukawa, Hokkaido, Japan, was conducted between June and September 2022 and included 364 Japanese participants older than 65 y. Habitual green tea consumption and energy intake were ascertained using a validated self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Sarcopenia was evaluated using the SARC-F. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of sarcopenia risk across participant tertiles of green tea consumption, with adjustments for age, sex, body mass index, living alone, habitual exercise, walking hours, current smoking status, current alcohol consumption status, energy intake, protein intake, vegetable intake, and fruit intake. In this study of 364 participants (154 men and 210 women), the prevalence of sarcopenia risk was 9.3%. The multivariable-adjusted OR [95% CI] of green tea consumption for ≥1 cup/d compared with that of <1 cup/wk of sarcopenia was 0.312 [0.129-0.752]. Higher habitual green tea consumption was inversely associated with sarcopenia among Japanese older adults. Further longitudinal studies are required to confirm these findings.
Keywords: cross-sectional study; green tea; nutritional epidemiology; older adults; sarcopenia.