A diet that emphasizes mostly fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts may help people as they age reduce their risk of physical frailty, according to study results Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Physical frailty is common among older people and its prevalence increases as the population ages. These older people display weight loss and low muscle strength. They are more likely to suffer from many health problems, including falls, fractures, hospitalization, disability, dementia and premature death. Frailty is also associated with a lower quality of life.
Researchers from University College London, UK carried out a meta-analysis with 5789 people from four studies conducted in France, Spain, Italy and China to understand the link between mediterranean diet and the development of frailty in the elderly.
Mediterranean diet keeps seniors healthy
Researchers have observed that the Mediterranean diet can help older people maintain muscle strength, physical activity, weight and energy levels. “Our study provides a growing body of evidence on the potential health benefits of a mediterranean diet to help older people stay healthy as they age,” said study author Dr Kojima.
Further large studies are needed to confirm its findings, as the researchers did not rule out other risk factors in their meta-analysis. “We now need large studies looking at whether increasing your Mediterranean diet will reduce your risk of frailty.”
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