Gerontology & Geriatric Research

Abstract

Nutritional Influences on Age-Related Frailty

Ming-Jong Bair, Huan-Lin Chen, Chia-Hsien Wu, Yuan-Kai Lee, I-Tsung Lin and Shou-Chuan Shih

Frailty and malnutrition are both highly prevalent in the older populations. Frailty has multifactorial origin, and is regarded as a fundamental risk factor for deteriorating health status and disability in elder people. It is estimated that prevalence rates for frailty and pre-frail reach as high as 27% and 51%, respectively. The nutritional deficiency is a key to the development of frailty, and interventions focused on the nutrition can prevent the transition of frailty into disability. The critical role of micronutrients in this context suggests the need to improve the quality of food eaten by elder people, not just the quantity. This review aims at summarizing the recent literature on the nutritional links to frailty, frailty components and frailty-related parameters such as low muscle strength and low walking speed, and implications for strategies to prevent or delay frailty in older age.