Nut consumption may be inversely associated with frailty in older women

1. In this prospective cohort study, increased consumption of nuts was associated with a lower risk of frailty in women over 60 years old.

2. In contrast, peanut butter consumption was not associated with a lower risk of frailty.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

Frailty is a condition of increased vulnerability to stressful events and often disproportionately affects women and long-term care facility residents. The Mediterranean diet is known to be inversely associated with risk of frailty. Nuts are an important part of the Mediterranean diet, however the association between this food group and the beneficial effects on frailty are unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of nut consumption on frailty risk in older women.

This cohort study included 71,704 nonfrail females ≥60 years old from 11 US states. Participants with unreasonably high or low caloric intake or missing data on their nut consumption were excluded. Participants were surveyed every 2 years from 1992 to 2016 on factors such as weight and health status. Nut consumption was evaluated using a Food Frequency Questionnaire administered every 4 years. The primary outcome was frailty, defined as having ≥3 of the FRAIL frailty scale components, which include fatigue, lower strength, reduced aerobic capacity, multiple chronic conditions, and significant weight loss.

The results demonstrated that higher nut consumption was associated with lower risk of frailty. This association remained after adjustment for lifestyle factors. However, consuming higher amount of peanut butter was not associated with reduced risk of frailty. This study was limited by possible inaccuracies in nut consumption and FRAIL frailty scale score given the self-reported nature of the study. Nonetheless, this study provided initial evidence indicating the role of nut consumption in reduced frailty risk.

Click to read the study in The Journal of Nutrition

Image: PD

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