Table 2.
Main characteristics of study participants according to tertiles of daily protein intake (n = 3404).
| Tertiles of Daily Protein Intake (g/kg of Body Weight) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ≤0.79 (n = 2993) | 0.80−0.99 (n = 304) | ≥1.00 (n = 107) | |
| Age, years | 72.6 ± 5.6 | 72.9 ± 5.8 | 74.6 ± 6.5 ab |
| Weight, kg | 72.5 ± 12.6 | 59.9 ± 8.7 a | 52.5 ± 7.5 ab |
| Height, m | 1.64 ± 0.9 | 1.58 ± 0.7 a | 1.55 ± 0.8 ab |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 26.8 ± 4.0 | 23.8 ± 3.1 a | 21.7 ± 2.8 ab |
| Sex, female | 1526, 50.9 | 237, 77.9 | 87, 81.3 * |
| Energy intake, kcal | 521.0 ± 133.4 | 695.0 ± 118.9 a | 791.2 ± 117.1 ab |
| Protein, g | 37.6 ± 9.4 | 52.2 ± 7.9 a | 59.8 ± 8.7 ab |
| Protein, g/kg | 0.52 ± 0.13 | 0.87 ± 0.05 a | 1.14 ± 0.14 ab |
| Calcium, mg | 266.0 ± 128.3 | 381.5 ± 125.2 a | 457.9 ± 110.3 ab |
| Magnesium, mg | 42.0 ± 11.8 | 54.0 ± 10.8 a | 62.9 ± 9.8 ab |
| Sodium, mg | 595.3 ± 259.4 | 833.2 ± 306.5 a | 962.2 ± 363.8 ab |
| Potassium, mg | 477.4 ± 133.9 | 646.7 ± 139.6 a | 739.1 ± 146.9 ab |
| SBP, mmHg | 130.7 ± 15.8 | 129.2 ± 16.3 | 131.2 ± 18.4 |
| DBP, mmHg | 76.1 ± 9.5 | 74.1 ± 9.3 a | 74.6 ± 10.2 |
| Total blood cholesterol, mg/dL | 199.1 ± 32.7 | 205.7 ± 33.7 a | 209.6 ± 35.9 ab |
| Blood glucose, mg/dL | 106.9 ± 25.1 | 104.0 ± 21.3 | 108.9 ± 37.7 |
| Smoking, yes | 404, 13.4 | 35, 11.5 | 7, 6.5 |
| Physical activity, yes | 714, 23.8 | 65, 21.3 | 24, 22.4 |
| Antihypertensive drug(s), yes | 1631, 55.5 | 137, 45.0 | 32, 30.0 * |
| Cholesterol-lowering drug(s), yes | 997, 33.3 | 85, 30.0 | 31, 29.0 |
| Antidiabetic drug(s), yes | 252, 8.4 | 16, 5.2 | 10, 9.3 |
Data are shown as mean ± standard deviation or absolute number, percentage. a p < 0.05 vs. p ≤ 0.79, b p < 0.05 vs. 0.80–0.99. * p < 0.05 according to chi-square tests. Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index, DBP, diastolic blood pressure, SPB, systolic blood pressure.