Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Apr 15;24(1):61.
doi: 10.1186/s12937-025-01131-7.

Relationship between dietary protein and amino acid intake and handgrip strength in Korean adults: data from the 2014-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Hyunji Ham  1 , Sumin Kim  1 , Kyungho Ha  2
Affiliations

Relationship between dietary protein and amino acid intake and handgrip strength in Korean adults: data from the 2014-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Hyunji Ham et al. Nutr J. .

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenia contributes to an increased risk of falls and fractures, and reduced mobility, and mortality. Supplementation with dietary protein and amino acids has been suggested as a potential strategy to slow or prevent the associated loss of muscle mass and strength. However, most previous studies have focused on dietary protein or limited populations, such as older adults. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary protein and amino acid intake and handgrip strength (HG) in Korean adults.

Methods: This study used data from the 2014-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A total of 18,565 adults who participated in a 1-day 24-hour recall method were included. Protein intake was calculated as a percentage of total energy intake from food sources (animal and plant). Amino acid intake (g/day), including essential amino acids (EAAs), branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), and non essential amino acids (NEAAs), was assessed using a database expanded based on amino acid composition databases constructed by national institutions. Low HG was diagnosed based on the 2019 guidelines of the Asian Working Group on Sarcopenia.

Results: In the fully adjusted model, total and plant protein intakes were positively associated with HG levels (kg) (β = 0.04 and 0.07 per 1% increase, respectively; p < 0.05 for both). Participants aged ≥ 65 years in the highest NEAA intake group had a 42% lower risk of low HG compared to those in the lowest intake group (odds ratio 0.58; 95% confidence interval 0.35-0.97; p for trend = 0.1026). A lower risk of HG was observed in older participants whose plant protein intake ranged from 8 to 10% of energy, compared to those consuming less than 7%. However, no association was found when intake exceeded 10% of energy.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that a high intake of NEAAs and a moderately high intake of plant protein may be associated with a lower risk of low HG among Korean older adults. Further prospective studies are needed to explore the effects of protein and amino acid intake on muscle mass and strength.

Keywords: Amino acid; Handgrip strength; KNHANES; Protein; Sarcopenia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethical approval: The KNHANES was approved by the KCDC Institutional Review Board through 2014 (approval number: 2013-12EXP-03–5 C) and was conducted under the Bioethics Act without deliberation from 2015 to 2017. Approval was required again from 2018 onward (approval numbers: 2018-01-03-P-A, 2018-01-03-C-A). Informed consent was obtained from all the participants. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The flow chart for selecting study participants
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chen LK, Woo J, Assantachai P, Auyeung TW, Chou MY, Iijima K, et al. Asian working group for sarcopenia: 2019 consensus update on sarcopenia diagnosis and treatment. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2020;21(3):300–e3072. - PubMed
    1. Yeung SSY, Reijnierse EM, Pham VK, Trappenburg MC, Lim WK, Meskers CGM, et al. Sarcopenia and its association with falls and fractures in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2019;10(3):485–500. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Beaudart C, Demonceau C, Reginster JY, Locquet M, Cesari M, Cruz Jentoft AJ, et al. Sarcopenia and health-related quality of life: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2023;14(3):1228–43. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Larsson L, Degens H, Li M, Salviati L, Lee YI, Thompson W, et al. Sarcopenia: Aging-Related loss of muscle mass and function. Physiol Rev. 2019;99(1):427–511. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Xu J, Wan CS, Ktoris K, Reijnierse EM, Maier AB. Sarcopenia is associated with mortality in adults: A systematic review and Meta-Analysis. Gerontology. 2022;68(4):361–76. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources