(P22-025-25) Association Between Dietary Patterns and Anemia in the Elderly: The 2015 China Nutrition and Health Surveillance

Objectives: Anemia was associated with physical decline, functional limitations, and cognitive impairment, with affecting 1.92 billion people worldwide in 2021. However, there are currently fewer studies focusing on the relationship between dietary patterns and anemia in the elderly population. This study aimed to analyze the dietary patterns in the elderly aged 60 and above in China and their relevance with anemia.

Methods: The data was obtained from the 2015 China Nutrition and Health Surveillance, dietary information was collected using the food frequency questionnaire in the past year, exploratory factor analysis was used to extract dietary patterns, and logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between dietary patterns and anemia.

Results: A total of 48,955 elderly people were included, and the number of people with anemia was 4,417 (9.02%). Four dietary patterns (DP) were identified by the exploratory factor analysis, and two dietary patterns have been found to have a statistically significant relationship with anemia. Compared to the first quintile, the fifth quintile of dietary pattern (DP2), characterized by high intake of rice and flour, fresh vegetables, livestock and poultry meat, aquatic products, was associated with a higher risk anemia in the elderly (OR = 1.412, 95%CI: 1.273–1.567, P< 0.0001), and the trend test results showed that score of this dietary pattern was positively associated with anemia (p for trend < 0.0001). Dietary pattern (DP4), rich in fungi and algae, fried dough products, other grains, various beans, and rice and flour, was a protective factor of anemia. Compared to the first quintile, the risk of anemia was reduced in the fifth quintile (OR = 0.768, 95% CI: 0.674–0.874, P < 0.0001), and DP4 score was negatively associated with anemia (P for trend < 0.0001).

Conclusions: There were differences in dietary patterns among elderly people over 60 years old in China, and DP2 were positively associated with anemia risk, whereas there was negative association of DP4 and anemia risk.

Funding Sources: This study was supported by the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China Medical Reform Major Program: China Nutrition and Health Surveillance (2015–2017).