Mediterranean Diet May Reduce Risk of Frailty in Old Age

An analysis published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found a Mediterranean diet could stave off frailty in older adults, reports Reuters . The researchers analyzed data on nearly 6,000 older adults who were part of four studies, including three conducted in countries that border the Mediterranean Sea and one in Asia. Regardless of where they lived, people whose diets most closely followed Mediterranean diet principles were less than half as likely as those with the least-Mediterranean diets to become frail as they got older. All the studies scored participants' diets based on how closely they adhered to Mediterranean principles, with a score of 6-9 marking the highest adherence and 0-3 representing the lowest. Participants were monitored for an average of about four years. People whose diets scored 4-5 had 38 percent lower risk of developing frailty during the follow-up period versus those who scored 0-3, while those with a diet score of 6-9 had 56 percent lower risk. The Mediterranean diet follows traditional food patterns typical of Greece and southern Italy and includes many plant-based foods such as fresh vegetables, legumes, and nuts, as well as fish and seafood. The chief source of fat is usually olive oil instead of animal fat, and alcohol, typically wine, is consumed in low to moderate amounts.