Association Between Dietary Patterns and Prevalence of Frailty in Community-Dwelling Lebanese Older Adults

Abstract

Background and aims: The older adult population has been on the rise lately, especially in developing countries. Along with aging, a common geriatric syndrome occurs often, that is frailty. Healthy dietary patterns can contribute to successful aging through reducing risk of frailty. In this study, we aimed to identify the prevalence of frailty, and to explore the potential association between frailty and apriori patterns. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 112 community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 from Beirut and Jbeil governorates. Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected through interviews. A 61-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to collect dietary intake data, and adherence to the Lebanese Mediterranean diet (LMD) and Mediterranean diet (MeDi) was calculated. Frailty was defined by the presence of three out of the five criterion developed by Fried et al. (2001): weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, slowness, and low activity. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between LMD and MeDi adherence and frailty. Results: In general, older adults in this sample did not meet the recommendations of the Lebanese Cedar food guide, and had low adherence to the LMD. Sixteen (14.3%) individuals were identified as frail. Frail individuals were significantly older (p=0.001), depressed (p<0.001), at risk of cognitive impairment (p=0.006), and reported polypharmacy (p=0.003). No associations were found between LMD adherence and frailty, however, middle adherence to MeDi diet was associated with lower prevalence of frailty (OR=0.034, 95% CI 0.001-0.904, p=0.043). Conclusion: Larger, randomized, longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the relationship between LMD and frailty in Lebanese older adults. Nonetheless, interventions should be aimed towards promoting a Mediterranean-type diet among the Lebanese population.