The Relationship of Pork Meat Consumption with Nutrient Intakes, Diet Quality, and Biomarkers of Health Status in Korean Older Adults

Abstract

Background: Pork meat is a widely consumed protein food with the potential to differentially affect health and nutritional status across social and cultural contexts. Objectives: We evaluated the association between pork meat consumption and nutrient intake, diet quality, and biomarkers of health among older adults (age ≥ 65 years) in Korea. Methods: Our analyses utilized dietary and health examination data from the 2016–2020 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 2068). Comparisons between variables derived from the nutrition survey and health examination by pork consumption (consumers vs. non-consumers) were assessed using regression analyses for survey data. Results: Pork consumption was found to be associated with younger age, greater educational attainment, and lower likelihood of living in a rural area. Consumption was also associated with a higher intake of energy and all nutrients except vitamin B6, retinol, ⍵3, and zinc in males and vitamin B6 in females. Diet quality was modestly higher among male (67.91 ± 0.93 vs. 65.74 ± 0.74; p = 0.0308) and female (70.88 ± 0.96 vs. 67.00 ± 0.73; p < 0.0001) pork consumers. Differences in biomarkers were clinically irrelevant, with inconsistencies between genders. Handgrip strength was slightly higher among male (33.84 ± 0.52 vs. 31.91 ± 0.40; p < 0.0001) and female (20.76 ± 0.34 vs. 19.99 ± 0.22; p < 0.0001) pork consumers. Conclusions: In Korean older adults, pork consumption may contribute to a higher intake of energy and most nutrients, improved diet quality scores, higher vegetable intake, and small improvements in health biomarkers. Further well-designed studies are needed to confirm these findings.