Association Between Auricularia Auricula-Judae Consumption and Sarcopenia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Several studies have shown that Auricularia auricula-judae (AAJ) can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. Although these factors are closely involved in the pathogenesis of sarcopenia, limited research has focused on the association between AAJconsumption and sarcopenia in the general population. We aimed to investigate the potential association between AAJ consumption and sarcopenia in the elderly general population. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from the Tianjin Chronic Low-grade Systemic Inflammation and Health (TCLSIH) study, which included 4,034 participants aged 60 years or older. The diagnosis of sarcopenia was based on the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 (AWGS 2019) criteria. AAJ consumption was assessed using a validated self-administered 100-item food frequency questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression model and Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to examine the effect of AAJ consumption on sarcopenia. Results: There were 548 (15.1%) sarcopenia cases. In males, after adjusting for confounding factors, the odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for sarcopenia decreased with increasing frequency of AAJ intake: 1.00 (reference) for almost never, 0.79 (0.53, 1.18) for ≤1 time/week, 0.62 (0.41, 0.93) for ≥2-3 times/week ( P for trend=0.02). However, in females, no significant association between AAJ consumption and sarcopenia was identified. Similar results were also found in sarcopenia components. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that AAJ consumption was inversely associated with the prevalence of sarcopenia in Chinese elderly males but not in elderly females. The exact mechanism underlying this association warrants further investigations.