Is Frailty More Common in Older Adults With a High-Sugar Diet?

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found an association between a high-sugar diet and an elevated rate of frailty in older adults, according to the Medical News Bulletin . Over three years, the researchers studied 1,973 Spanish adults who were at least 60 years old, equally divided between men and women. No participants had dementia or Alzheimer's disease, and none were frail at the study's outset. During the study period, 140 study participants developed frailty. The third of participants with the highest consumption of added sugar were 2.3 times more likely to develop frailty than those in the lowest third. Of the five possible frailty criteria, only unintentional weight loss and low activity levels were connected with a greater consumption of added sugars. The third of participants with the greatest consumption of added sugar were 1.5 times more likely to have low levels of activity and were twice as likely to experience unintentional weight loss. Finally, those consuming more added sugars were not more likely to be overweight or obese, yet obese participants with more added sugar in their diet were almost four times more likely to develop frailty than obese adults consuming less added sugar.