New study: Plant-based protein may reduce risk of frailty in older women Switching from animal protein to plant-based protein may help older women avoid frailty, new study finds.

Weakness is a common condition in the elderly and is characterized by a lack of energy and muscle strength.. This is one of the reasons older adults are at increased risk of injury from bumps and falls..

The study was published in the medical journal Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia, and Muscle. A study found that higher plant protein intake was associated with a reduced risk of frailty in women over the age of 60.. The results also show that replacing animal protein with vegetable protein can help prevent weakness..

The researchers analyzed data from more than 85,000 women aged 60 years and older who participated in the Nurses' Health Study, one of the largest studies examining risk factors for chronic disease in women..

In the study, weakness was defined as having at least three of the following five criteria: fatigue, low strength, reduced aerobic endurance, five or more chronic conditions, and 5% weight loss..

Researchers assessed women every four years between 1992 and 2014 and measured food intake using meal frequency questionnaires on nine different occasions..

When assessing protein intake, the main dietary sources of plant protein were bread, cereals, pasta, nuts, beans and legumes.. The main sources of animal protein are processed and unprocessed red meat, poultry, fish and seafood, eggs and dairy products..

Researchers identified more than 13,000 cases of weakness in observed women.

Replacing 5% of animal protein or dairy protein or non-dairy animal protein (including protein from meat and eggs) with vegetable protein was associated with a 38%, 32%, and 42% reduction in the risk of frailty, respectively..

The researchers also found that replacing non-dairy animal protein with milk protein was associated with a 14% reduction in the risk of weakness.. They concluded that replacing animal protein, especially non-dairy animal protein, with vegetable protein is associated with a lower risk of frailty..

A previous study conducted in 2020 also analyzed data from the Nurses’ Health Study. Lower consumption of red and processed meat has been found to be associated with a lower risk of weakness. A lower sodium intake and a higher ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fats have also been noted to be beneficial..

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