Association Between Ultra-Processed Food Consumption Frequency and Frailty: Findings from the InCHIANTI Study of Aging.

Abstract

Background/objectives: As individuals age, they experience declines in multiple physiological domains, which increases their vulnerability to health challenges and frailty. While adherence to healthy dietary patterns has been shown to protect against frailty, consuming ultra-processed foods (UPFs)-which are high in added sugars and saturated fat-may contribute to frailty risk. This study investigates the association between UPF consumption and frailty progression among 938 participants aged 65 years and older who were in the InCHIANTI study, Italy.

Methods: The patients' dietary intakes over the past year were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire, with items categorized into food groups based on the Nova classification. Frailty was operationalized using a 42-item frailty index (FI). Multivariable linear regression was used to examine the association between the baseline UPF consumption frequency and baseline frailty status, while linear mixed-effects models were used to examine the frailty progression over time.

Results: Overall, the participants with the lowest UPF consumption frequency were younger, had more years of education, and had a lower baseline FI. Higher UPF consumption was significantly associated with a greater baseline FI after adjustments for the sociodemographic and health characteristics (β = 0.026, 95% CI = 0.010-0.041, p = 0.001), and this difference persisted over a 16.1-year follow-up period (β = 0.022, 95% CI = 0.006-0.037, p = 0.006).

Conclusions: These findings underscore the potential negative health impacts of UPF on frailty prevalence and progression in older adults.