Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39861456›Full record

ArticleNutrients2025

The Relationship Between a Mediterranean Diet and Frailty in Older Adults: NHANES 2007-2017.

Danae C Gross, Jessica C Dahringer, Paige Bramblett, Chang Sun, Hillary B Spangler, David H Lynch, John A Batsis

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nutrients, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Danae C GrossDepartment of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3892-9408
Jessica C DahringerSchool of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.ORCID 0009-0006-6382-3110
Paige BramblettDepartment of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.ORCID 0009-0002-8619-0556
Chang SunDepartment of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Hillary B SpanglerDivision of Geriatric Medicine, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4027-4113
David H LynchDivision of Geriatric Medicine, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2512-9367
John A BatsisDepartment of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0845-4416

Funding

Re-Entry Supplement: Investigation of Oral Microbial Enzymes for the Detection and Treatment of Periodontal DiseaseUL1TR002489 · NCATS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI BUSE, JOHN BERNARD, SHAHEEN, NICHOLAS J · 2018 to 2022
$48.6M
North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute (NC TraCS)UM1TR004406 · NCATS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI NICHOLAS J SHAHEEN · 2023 to 2026
$37.5M
UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CLINICAL NUTRITION RESEARCH UNITP30DK056350 · NIDDK · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Ian Michael Carroll · 1999 to 2026
$31.6M
UNC-CH Summer Research Training in Aging for Medical StudentsT35AG038047 · NIA · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI JAN BUSBY-WHITEHEAD · 2010 to 2026
$1.4M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002489NCATS NIH HHS UM1 TR004406NIA NIH HHS T35 AG038047NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK056350NIH HHS 2T35AG038047-23S23
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFrailty is a geriatric syndrome of significant public health concern that causes vulnerability to physiologic stressors and an increased risk of mortality and hospitalizations. Dietary intake and quality are contributing factors to the development of frailty. The Mediterranean diet is known to be one of the healthiest eating patterns with promising health impacts for prevention. We evaluated the association between Mediterranean diet patterns and frailty status.

methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2007 to 2017. We included 7300 participants aged > 60 years who completed the first day of a 24 h diet recall and had full covariate data. We constructed an alternate Mediterranean diet (aMED) score based on the quantity of specific food-group intake and categorized participants to low-, moderate-, and high-adherence groups (aMED adherence scores of 0-2, 3-4, and 5-9, respectively). Using a modified Fried Frailty phenotype (weakness, low physical activity, exhaustion, slow walking speed, and weight loss), participants were categorized as robust (met no criteria), pre-frail (met one or two criteria), and frail (met three or more criteria). Logistic regression evaluated the association of frailty (prefrail/robust as referent) and aMED adherence.

resultsIncluded participants were mainly female (54.5%) and non-Hispanic White (80.0%). The mean (SD) aMED score was 3.6 (1.6) with 45% of participants falling into moderate aMED adherence (26% low adherence, 30% high adherence). Frailty prevalence among participants was 7.1%, with most participants classified as robust (51.0%) or pre-frail (41.9%). Fully adjusted models showed significantly reduced odds of frailty with moderate-adherence and high-adherence groups (odds ratio (95%CI) of 0.71 (0.55, 0.92) and 0.52 (0.36, 0.75), respectively).

conclusionsMediterranean diet adherence is associated with decreased odds of frailty in older adults. These findings suggest that adherence to a Mediterranean diet may play a critical role in mitigating frailty and its associated conditions. Future research should include longitudinal and interventional studies that can definitively determine the effect of a Mediterranean diet on frailty and what food components provide the greatest benefit.

Indexed as

Diet, MediterraneanFrail ElderlyFrailtyAgedAged, 80 and overCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleGeriatric AssessmentHumansMaleMiddle AgedNutrition SurveysUnited StatesagingfrailtyMediterranean diet

Identifiers

PMID39861456
PMCPMC11767853

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.