Abstract

Introduction and objective: Dietary variety (DV) is recognized as a key indicator of diet quality. It is based on the premise that eating a wide variety of foods ensures an adequate intake of essential nutrients which, in turn, leads to better diet quality. The aim of the study is to examine the relationships between DV, diet quality and selected anthropometric parameters in older adults.

Material and methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 1,071 participants (average age: 72.8 years) from a population cohort of older adults living in Poland. DV was measured using the Dietary Variety Score (DVS) and Dietary Diversity Score (DDS), based on 3-day food records. The associations between DV and anthropometric parameters were examined using cluster analysis. Three clusters were identified: high DV (Cluster 1 - 33%), moderate DV (Cluster 2 - 41%) and low DV (Cluster 3 - 26%).

Results: Moderate DV showed a positive relationship with lower BMI values, particularly in women (p<0.05). High and moderate DV was inversely associated with lower values of abdominal adiposity measures, compared to the low DV in the women group only (p<0.05). The diet quality score was greater in the high DV, compared to the low DV (12.6 vs. 7.5; p<0.001). Low DV constituted a high-risk group and had the lowest intake of energy (100% participants) and almost all nutrients, especially protein (62%) and micronutrients (>30-96%; depending on the nutrient).

Conclusions: A higher degree of DV was associated with better anthropometric parameters in older adults. These relationships were more pronounced in women than in men. High DV improves the intake levels of energy, protein and micronutrients, and also enhances overall dietary quality. Older adults require personalized guidance and dietary support, including a high dietary variety of nutrient-dense foods/food groups.