The Consumption of Two or Three Meals per Day with Adequate Protein Content Is Associated with Lower Risk of Physical Disability in Mexican Adults Aged 60 Years and Older

Adequate protein intake per day has been associated with a lower risk of physical disability; however, if adequate protein intake per meal is also associated is unknown. The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between adequate protein intake per meal and physical disability in daily living activities in Mexican adults aged ≥60 years. We assessed the number of meals per day with an adequate protein content (24 h dietary recall), the presence of physical disability in daily living activities (two validated questionnaires), and their association in 187 participants through logistic regression. Consuming two or three meals per day with ≥30 g each was associated with lower risk of physical disability on Transportation (OR [95% CI]: 0.06 [0.01-0.50], p = 0.01), Shopping (0.05 [0.01-0.40], p = 0.004), Feeding (0.06 [0.01-0.74], p = 0.028), and Transfer (0.09 [0.01-0.98], p = 0.048). On the other hand, consuming two or three meals per day with ≥0.4 g/kg each was associated with lower risk of physical disability on Shopping (0.21 [0.05-0.89], p = 0.034) and Transportation (0.12 [0.03-0.48], p = 0.003). The consumption of two or three meals per day with adequate protein content is associated with lower risk of physical disability in Mexican adults aged 60 years and older.