Effectiveness of Whole Food Interventions on Protein Intake in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Authors

Maartje W F Heijmans, Lotte Koopmans, Maria T E Hopman, Sjors Verlaan, Josje D Schoufour, Thijs M H Eijsvogels

Published in

Nutrition reviews. Jul 21, 2026. Epub Jul 21, 2026.

Abstract

Adequate dietary protein intake contributes to preservation of muscle mass, muscle strength, and healthy aging. Protein supplementation is an effective strategy for increasing protein intake, but its effects are often temporary. Alternatively, whole food dietary modifications can sustainably enhance protein consumption.
This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effectiveness of whole food interventions on protein intake in older adults and explored which characteristics contributed to its effectiveness.
A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, and the Web of Science to identify studies among community-dwelling older adults (aged ≥50 years) that assessed the effect of whole food interventions (≥12 weeks) on daily protein intake (g/day or g/kg/day).
The revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials was used to assess bias. The primary outcome was protein intake. Trials with a control group were included in a random-effects meta-analysis. We included 16 studies (n = 1712 participants, 33% male) in our systematic review.
Intervention characteristics associated with success were longer duration (>3 months and up to 6 months), individual counseling sessions, in-person or hybrid delivery, and an absolute protein target (g/day or g/meal). Our meta-analysis (11 studies, n = 1207) revealed a significantly greater increase in daily protein intake (+12.2 g/day, 95% CI: +5.0 to +19.4) and relative protein intake (+0.13 g/kg/day, 95% CI: 0.0 to +0.3) in the whole food intervention group compared with the control group.
Whole food interventions can effectively increase protein intake in older adults. Interventions with a longer duration, individual counseling, in-person or hybrid delivery, and absolute protein targets reported greater effects.
PROSPERO registration No. CRD42023491283.

PMID:
42479595
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Jul 2026.

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