Journal Article

Relationship between macronutrients and energy intake and liver serum transaminase levels in elderly athletes and non-athletes: findings from the Neyshabur longitudinal study on aging

Mohammadzadeh, Fatemeh, Taghizadeh Bilondi, Hossein, Ostadrahimi, Alireza, Arabi, Seyyed Mostafa, Mirhafez, Seyed Reza

2024

Overview

Background Assessing liver health and its determinants in the elderly is crucial. Lifestyle factors, including nutrition and exercise, may influence liver function. This study aimed to investigate the association between macronutrients and energy intake with serum levels of aminotransferases in elderly Iranian athletes and non-athletes. Methods A cross-sectional study involving 811 elderly participants (369 athletes, 442 non-athletes) from the Neyshabur Longitudinal Study on Aging (NeLSA) was conducted. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Serum Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were measured. Regression analyses were employed to evaluate the associations between macronutrient intake and liver enzymes, adjusting for potential confounding variables. Results In elderly athletes, higher calorie, protein, and carbohydrate intake were significantly associated with elevated ALT levels ( p  < 0.01 for all). Additionally, higher carbohydrate and calorie intake were linked to increased AST levels in athletes ( p  < 0.05 for both). For elderly non-athletes, only higher protein intake was significantly associated with increased ALT levels ( p  < 0.05), while no nutritional factors were associated with changes in AST levels. Conclusions This study revealed that higher calorie, protein, and carbohydrate intake were associated with elevated ALT and AST levels in elderly individuals, particularly athletes. For athletes, all three nutrients were linked to elevated ALT, while only carbohydrates and calories impacted AST. For non-athletes, only protein affected ALT. These findings suggest that tailored nutritional strategies may be necessary to preserve liver health in active aging populations.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Aged / Aged athletes / Aged, 80 and over / Aging / Aging - blood / Aging - physiology / Alanine aminotransferase / Alanine transaminase / Alanine Transaminase - blood / Aminotransferases / Anaerobic threshold / Anxiety / Aspartate aminotransferase / Aspartate Aminotransferases - blood / Athletes / Blood / Carbohydrates / Cross-Sectional Studies / Dietary intake / Dietary Proteins - administration & dosage / Elderly / Energy / Energy intake / Energy Intake - physiology / Enzymes / Exercise / Female / Food / Food intake / Geriatrics / Geriatrics/Gerontology / Humans / Iran - epidemiology / Leisure / Liver / Liver - enzymology / Longitudinal Studies / Macronutrients / Male / Medical research / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Medicine, Experimental / Metabolism / Middle Aged / Nutrients / Nutrition research / Older people / Physical fitness / Physiological aspects / Physiology / Questionnaires / Rehabilitation / Serum levels