A new study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, seem to indicate that consuming a Mediterranean-style diet may prevent frailty. The Mediterranean-style diet encourages consumptions of fruits and vegetables. Defined as a recognizable state of increased vulnerability resulting from a decline in function across multiple physiological systems, frailty affects 10-15% older adults, and leads to other health issues.
The study, titled “Adherence to the Mediterranean-style diet and high intake of total carotenoids reduces the odds of frailty over 11 years in older adults: Results from the Framingham Offspring Study,” showed that consuming a Mediterranean-style diet, may prevent the development of frailty with aging.
The study included 2,384 non-frail adults from the Framingham Offspring Study with Mediterranean-style dietary pattern score and antioxidant intakes estimated from a food frequency questionnaire combined with frailty assessments that were conducted over some 11 years. Each unit higher score on the Mediterranean Style Dietary Pattern Score (i.e., higher adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet) reduced the odds of frailty by 3%.
Courtney L Millar, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Fellow, Marcus Institute of Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, and Harvard Medical School, is the lead author. “People may be able to prevent frailty by following the principles of the Mediterranean-style diet,” Dr. Millar said.
Source: eurekalert.org
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