Fermented dairy intake and markers of musculoskeletal ageing on the island of Ireland: insights from the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) and The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)
5 affiliations
- 1Food Biosciences, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Co. Cork, Ireland
- 2VistaMilk, Co. Cork, Ireland
- 3Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
- 4Department of Nutritional Sciences, King’s College London, London, UK
- 5APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Co. Cork, Ireland
Abstract
Purpose: Fermented dairy foods may support healthy musculoskeletal ageing via high-quality protein and gut-muscle axis modulation. Epidemiological evidence linking fermented dairy foods with physical function in older adults is limited. We examined associations between fermented dairy intake and physical function in older adults in Ireland using two independent population-based cohorts, to assess the consistency of associations across differing dietary assessment approaches.
Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of data from the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA; n = 2791; mean age 64 ± 9 years) and The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA; n = 3999; mean age 66 ± 9 years) was performed. Fermented dairy intake was calculated from cohort-specific food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) with outcomes including muscle strength, frailty and functional limitations. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were applied, adjusting for demographic and health-related covariates.
Results: In NICOLA, fermented dairy intake was not associated with physical function outcomes after confounder adjustment. Associations observed in crude models were attenuated after adjustment, with no dose–response relationships. In TILDA, participants in the highest tertile of fermented dairy intake had higher odds of low grip strength compared with those in the lowest tertile (OR = 2.71; 95% CI: 1.12, 6.88; p = 0.030). However, analysis of individual fermented dairy foods indicated that this association was driven by yoghurt intake and was attenuated after covariate adjustment.
Conclusions: Across two independently analysed cohorts, fermented dairy intake was not consistently associated with physical function after confounder adjustment. There is a need for longitudinal and interventional studies to better determine the role of fermented dairy foods in musculoskeletal ageing.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-026-04150-0.
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BibTeX
@article{farsi2026fermented,
title = {{Fermented dairy intake and markers of musculoskeletal ageing on the island of Ireland: insights from the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) and The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)}},
author = {Dominic N. Farsi and Nicola A. Ward and Charlotte E. Sterling and Angela Scott and Gareth J. McKay and Claire T. McEvoy and Bernadette McGuinness and Paul D. Cotter and Orla O’Sullivan},
journal = {European Journal of Nutrition},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1007/s00394-026-04150-0},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-026-04150-0},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Fermented dairy intake and markers of musculoskeletal ageing on the island of Ireland: insights from the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) and The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)
AU - Dominic N. Farsi
AU - Nicola A. Ward
AU - Charlotte E. Sterling
AU - Angela Scott
AU - Gareth J. McKay
AU - Claire T. McEvoy
AU - Bernadette McGuinness
AU - Paul D. Cotter
AU - Orla O’Sullivan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - European Journal of Nutrition
DO - 10.1007/s00394-026-04150-0
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-026-04150-0
AB - Purpose: Fermented dairy foods may support healthy musculoskeletal ageing via high-quality protein and gut-muscle axis modulation. Epidemiological evidence linking fermented dairy foods with physical function in older adults is limited. We examined associations between fermented dairy intake and physical function in older adults in Ireland using two independent population-based cohorts, to assess the consistency of associations across differing dietary assessment approaches. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of data from the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA; n = 2791; mean age 64 ± 9 years) and The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA; n = 3999; mean age 66 ± 9 years) was performed. Fermented dairy intake was calculated from cohort-specific food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) with outcomes including muscle strength, frailty and functional limitations. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were applied, adjusting for demographic and health-related covariates. Results: In NICOLA, fermented dairy intake was not associated with physical function outcomes after confounder adjustment. Associations observed in crude models were attenuated after adjustment, with no dose–response relationships. In TILDA, participants in the highest tertile of fermented dairy intake had higher odds of low grip strength compared with those in the lowest tertile (OR = 2.71; 95% CI: 1.12, 6.88; p = 0.030). However, analysis of individual fermented dairy foods indicated that this association was driven by yoghurt intake and was attenuated after covariate adjustment. Conclusions: Across two independently analysed cohorts, fermented dairy intake was not consistently associated with physical function after confounder adjustment. There is a need for longitudinal and interventional studies to better determine the role of fermented dairy foods in musculoskeletal ageing. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-026-04150-0.
SN - 1436-6207
SN - 1436-6215
ER -