Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and frailty and disability in older people: A systematic review and meta-analysis featured in the Italian National Guidelines "La Dieta Mediterranea".
Antonino Maria Cotroneo, Stefano Ciriminna, Lorenzo Espa et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined whether Mediterranean diet adherence is associated with frailty and disability in older people. It included 19 observational studies; no interventional studies contributed to the results. Higher adherence was associated with lower frailty incidence across 9 cohort studies (n = 94 072; OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.93-0.97) and lower frailty prevalence across 6 cross-sectional studies (n = 12 277; OR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90-0.98). Disability was associated with adherence only for prevalence (OR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.97-0.98).
Key findings
- Higher Mediterranean diet adherence was associated with lower frailty incidence: OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.93-0.97; moderate certainty of evidence.
- Higher adherence was associated with lower frailty prevalence: OR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90-0.98; low certainty of evidence.
- The association with disability was observed for prevalence only (OR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.97-0.98).
Why it matters
Frailty and disability are important outcomes in older adults, and these pooled findings link greater Mediterranean diet adherence with lower frailty and disability prevalence. The evidence may inform population-level discussions of dietary patterns and healthy ageing, while the observational design means the associations do not establish that diet adherence causes these outcomes.
What to keep in mind
All 19 included studies were observational, so the findings cannot establish causality. Certainty was moderate for frailty incidence and low for frailty prevalence.