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OBJECTIVES: To examine relationships between diet and grip strength in older men and women and to determine whether prenatal growth modifies these relationships. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS: Two thousand nine hundred eighty-three men and women aged 59 to 73 who were born and still living in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. MEASUREMENTS: Weight at birth recorded in Health Visitor ledgers; current food and nutrient intake assessed using an administered food frequency questionnaire; and grip strength measured using a handheld dynamometer. RESULTS: Grip strength was positively associated with height and weight at birth and inversely related to age (all P<.001). Of the dietary factors considered in relation to grip strength, the most important was fatty fish consumption. An increase in grip strength of 0.43 kg (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.13–0.74) in men ( P=.005) and 0.48 kg (95% CI=0.24–0.72) in women ( P<.001) was observed for each additional portion of fatty fish consumed per week. These relationships were independent of adult height, age, and birth weight, each of which had additive effects on grip strength. There was no evidence of interactive effects of weight at birth and adult diet on grip strength. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that fatty fish consumption can have an important influence on muscle function in older men and women. This raises the possibility that the antiinflammatory actions of omega-3 fatty acids may play a role in the prevention of sarcopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin resistance is a metabolic abnormality that underlies Type 2 diabetes, the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, but it may also be associated with more global health deficits. This study assessed associations of insulin resistance with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in different domains of physical and mental health in a large elderly population study. Cross-sectional data of 1212 participants from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study were analysed. Insulin resistance was assessed by the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR), and HRQoL was measured using the SF-36 health survey. Poor HRQoL was defined by a score lower than the sex-specific 10th percentile of each scale, and logistic regressions yielded odds ratios in relation to the HOMA-IR scores. Subsequent analyses adjusted for the influence of age, smoking, alcohol consumption, social class, BMI, coronary heart disease and depression. Results showed an increase in poor HRQoL with an increase in HOMA-IR scores for physical functioning (OR = 2.29; CI: 1.67-3.13), vitality (OR = 1.45; CI: 1.05-2.00), and general health (OR = 1.62; CI: 1.19-2.21). In men, but not in women, associations with physical functioning were independent of confounding variables. The results indicate that insulin resistance is associated with poor HRQoL in domains of physical health, but not in domains of mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an overview of a study on use of assistive devices by older people to maintain their independence at home, conducted in Hertfordshire, England. Assistive devices pertain to all products that compensate, relieve or neutralize the impairments of a person. The study developed a questionnaire to assess the most common challenges encountered by elders. It has been found that unwillingness to use a product included a concern about affordability.

Abstract: Infant growth is a determinant of adult bone mass, and poor childhood growth is a risk factor for adult hip fracture. Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) allows non-invasive assessment of bone strength. We utilised this technology to examine relationships between growth in early life and bone strength. We studied 313 men and 318 women born in Hertfordshire between 1931 and 1939 who were still resident there in adult life, for whom detailed early life records were available. Lifestyle factors were evaluated by questionnaire, anthropometric measurements made, and peripheral QCT examination of the radius and tibia performed (Stratec 4500). Birthweight and conditional weight at 1 year were strongly related to radial and tibial length in both sexes (p <0.001) and to measures of bone strength [fracture load X, fracture load Y, polar strength strain index (SSI)] at both the radius and tibia. These relationships were robust to adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), social class, cigarette and alcohol consumption, physical activity, dietary calcium intake, HRT use, and menopausal status in women. Among men, BMI was strongly positively associated with radial (r =0.46, p =0.001) and tibial (r =0.24, p =0.006) trabecular bone mineral density (BMD). Current smoking was associated with lower cortical (radius: p =0.0002; tibia: p =0.08) and trabecular BMD (radius: p =0.08; tibia: p =0.04) in males. Similar trends of BMD with these anthropometric and lifestyle variables were seen in women but they were non-significant. Current HRT use was associated with greater female cortical (radius: p =0.0002; tibia: p =0.001) and trabecular (radius: p =0.008; tibia: p =0.04) BMD. Current HRT use was also associated with greater radial strength (polar SSI: p =0.006; fracture load X: p =0.005; fracture load Y: p =0.02) in women. Women who had sustained any fracture since the age of 45 years had lower radial total (p =0.0001), cortical (p <0.005) and trabecular (p =0.0002) BMD, poorer forearm bone strength [polar SSI (p =0.006), fracture load X and Y (p =0.02)], and lower tibial total (p <0.001), cortical (p =0.008), and trabecular (p =0.0001) BMD. We have shown that growth in early life is associated with bone size and strength in a UK population aged 65–73 years. Lifestyle factors were associated with volumetric bone density in this population. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]