A high animal-protein diet can prevent rapid physical, psychological and social function decline in older adults, a new study finds.

Increasing life expectancy led to the existence of many older adults suffering from functional decline, such as declines in cognitive ability and activities of daily living. These declines can have a drastic effect on the individual's health and well being. Researchers from the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Japan, Tohoku University and Teikyo University may have found a way to decrease this rate of decline.

According to the new study, as the body ages, it loses it capabilities to absorb proteins. Therefore, the daily requirement of proteins increase after a person crossed 65 years of age. Researchers designed a study to investigate the relationship between protein intake and future decline in higher-level functional capacity in older community-dwelling adults in Japan.

For the study, they analyzed 1,007 individuals with an average age of 67.4 years who completed food questionnaires at the start of the study and seven years later. Participants were divided into four groups according to their intake levels of total, animal, and plant protein. Tests of higher-level functional capacity included social and intellectual aspects as well as measures related to activities of daily living.

Researchers noted that men who consumed the highest amount of animal protein had a 39 percent decreased chance of experiencing higher-level functional decline than those in the lowest quartile. These associations were not seen in women.

"Identifying nutritional factors that contribute to maintaining higher-level functional capacity is important for prevention of future deterioration of activities of daily living," said Dr. Tsubota-Utsugi, lead author of the study. "Along with other modifiable health behaviors, a diet rich in protein may help older adults maintain their functional capacity."

The study comes a few days after another study which stated that a high animal protein diet is as bad for the heath as smoking for middle-aged adults.  The findings of this new study support recommendations from several leading health agencies to consume about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day in middle age.

Findings of the new study were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The study was funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.