Added Sugar Intake and Risk of Falling Among Older People: The Seniors-ENRICA Cohort Study

Background: Added sugar intake is a key contributor to the development of several chronic diseases. We aimed to investigate the prospective association between added sugar intake and the risk of falling among older men and women. Methods: We analyzed data from 2,154 Spanish adults aged ≥65 years from the Seniors-ENRICA cohort. Baseline food consumption was collected in 2008-2010 with a validated diet history, in which 155 foods were identified to contain added sugar. The occurrence of falls was ascertained up to 2015. Analyses were conducted with Cox models adjusted for potential confounders, including nutritional status, chronic diseases and sleeping medication. Results: Over 7.2y of follow-up, 605 participants experienced ≥1 fall and 527 suffered injurious falls. The hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for ≥1 fall across quintiles of added sugar intake were: 1.0, 1.09 (0.83-1.42), 1.07 (0.82-1.40), 1.15 (0.88-1.52), and 1.48 (1.12-1.96); p-trend 0.03. The corresponding figures for injurious falls were: 1.0, 1.17 (0.88-1.56), 1.06 (0.79- 1.41), 1.13 (0.84-1.52), and 1.40 (1.03-1.90); p-trend 0.10. These associations did not vary over strata of age, protein, calcium or vitamin intake, diet quality, physical activity or alcohol consumption. No differences were found when solid and liquid sources of added sugars were examined separately. Conclusions: Intake of added sugars was associated with a higher risk of falling in older people. This adds to the evidence to support interventions to reduce added sugar intake.