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Long-Term Food Variety and Dietary Patterns Are Associated with Frailty among Chinese Older Adults: A Cohort Study Based on CLHLS from 2014 to 2018

Summary

This study found that older Chinese adults who maintained a varied diet over four years had significantly lower rates of frailty compared to those with limited food variety. Two specific eating patterns were particularly beneficial: one including eggs, beans, pickles and some sugar, and another rich in fruits, vegetables, meat and fish. The findings suggest that encouraging elderly people to eat a diverse range of foods consistently over time may help prevent frailty and maintain better health in later life.

Background

Frailty is a prevalent age-related syndrome among older adults that increases vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. While nutrition is a modifiable factor for healthy aging, evidence on associations between dietary patterns, food variety, and frailty in Chinese populations remains limited.

Objective

To examine the association between food variety, dietary patterns, and frailty measured by frailty index (FI) in Chinese elderly. The study aimed to explore both baseline food diversity and long-term dietary changes in relation to frailty risk.

Results

High dietary diversity at baseline was not associated with reduced frailty incidence. However, maintaining high food variety over four years was associated with lower frailty risk (OR 0.59, 95%CI 0.39-0.90). Adherence to the ‘egg-bean-pickle-sugar pattern’ and ‘fruit-vegetable-meat-fish pattern’ were both associated with lower frailty risk.

Conclusion

Maintaining high food variety long-term and adherence to specific dietary patterns, particularly the egg-bean-pickle-sugar and fruit-vegetable-meat-fish patterns, could reduce frailty incidence in Chinese older adults. Early initiation and long-term maintenance of dietary diversity should be encouraged for frailty prevention.
  • Published in:Nutrients,
  • Study Type:Cohort Study,
  • Source: PMID: 36296962
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