Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
European Journal of Nutrition
PubMed ID
38761280
Publisher
Springer
School
Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute / School of Medical and Health Sciences
RAS ID
65853
Funders
Western Australian Future Health and Innovation Fund, Government of Western Australia
Grant Number
254627
Abstract
Purpose: Dietary nitrate intake is inversely related to numerous contributors towards frailty, including cardiovascular disease and poor physical function. Whether these findings extend to frailty remain unknown. We investigated if habitual nitrate intake, derived from plants or animal-based foods, was cross-sectionally associated with frailty in women. Methods: Community-dwelling older Australian women (n = 1390, mean age 75.1 ± 2.7 years) completed a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Nitrate concentrations in food were obtained from international nitrate databases. We adopted the Rockwood frailty index (FI) of cumulative deficits comprising 33 variables across multiple health domains (scored 0 to 1), which predicts increased hospitalisation and mortality risk. A FI ≥ 0.25 indicated frailty. Cross-sectional associations between nitrate intake (total plant and animal nitrate, separately) and frailty were analysed using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models (including lifestyle factors), as part of restricted cubic splines. Results: A non-linear inverse relationship was observed between total plant nitrate intake and frailty. Compared to women with the lowest plant nitrate intake (Quartile [Q]1), women with greater intakes in Q2 (OR 0.69 95%CI 0.56–0.84), Q3 (OR 0.67 95%CI 0.50–0.90) and Q4 (OR 0.66 95%CI 0.45–0.98) had lower odds for frailty. A nadir in the inverse association was observed once intakes reached ~ 64 mg/d (median Q2). No relationship was observed between total animal nitrate and frailty. Conclusion: Community-dwelling older women consuming low amounts of plant-derived nitrate were more likely to present with frailty. Consuming at least one daily serving (~ 75 g) of nitrate-rich green leafy vegetables may be beneficial in preventing frailty.
DOI
10.1007/s00394-024-03412-z
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Hayes, E., Dent, E., Shannon, O. M., Zhong, L. Z., Bozanich, T., Blekkenhorst, L. C., ... & Sim, M. (2024). Higher plant-derived nitrate intake is associated with lower odds of frailty in a cross-sectional study of community-dwelling older women. European Journal of Nutrition, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-024-03412-z