The association between anorexia of aging and physical frailty: Results from the national center for geriatrics and gerontology's study of geriatric syndromes.
OBJECTIVE
The present study examined the association between anorexia of aging and physical frailty among older people.


METHODS
An observational, cross-sectional cohort design was used with a sample of 4417 elderly Japanese citizens living in a community setting.


METHODS
Frailty was operationalized as the following frailty components: slowness, weakness, exhaustion, low level of physical activity, and weight loss. Participants were grouped as non-frail, pre-frail, and frail, and categorized as anorexic or not using questionnaire cutoff scores. Measured covariates were as follows: sociodemographic variables, medical history, life style, body mass index, blood nutrition data, self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and cognitive function.


RESULTS
The prevalence of anorexia of aging in each group was as follows: non-frail, 7.9%; pre-frail, 14.8%; frail, 21.2% (P for trend<0.001). After adjusting for all covariates, independent associations were identified between anorexia of aging and slowness (OR 1.42, 95% CI: 1.14-1.75, P=0.002), exhaustion (OR 1.39, 95% CI: 1.11-1.74, P=0.004) and weight loss (OR 1.37, 95% CI: 1.05-1.79, P=0.019), but not weakness or low level of physical activity.


CONCLUSIONS
Anorexia of aging is importantly associated with frailty and the following frailty components: slowness, exhaustion, and weight loss. Future research should prospectively examine frailty's causal connection with anorexia of aging.
Section for Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430, Morioka-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, 474-8511, Japan; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 5-3-1, Kouji-machi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-0083, Japan. Electronic address: k-tsutsu@ncgg.go.jp.
Kota
K
Tsutsumimoto
Section for Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430, Morioka-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, 474-8511, Japan.
Takehiko
T
Doi
Section for Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430, Morioka-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, 474-8511, Japan.
Hyuma
H
Makizako
Section for Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430, Morioka-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, 474-8511, Japan.
Ryo
R
Hotta
Section for Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430, Morioka-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, 474-8511, Japan.
Sho
S
Nakakubo
Section for Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430, Morioka-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, 474-8511, Japan.
Keitaro
K
Makino
National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430, Morioka-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, 474-8511, Japan; Institute for Gerontology, J.F. Oberlin University, 3758, Tokiwa-machi, Machida City, Tokyo, 194-0294, Japan.
Takao
T
Suzuki
Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430, Morioka-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, 474-8511, Japan.
Hiroyuki
H
Shimada
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000855:Anorexia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005221:Fatigue; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000523:psychology*; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D005853:Geriatrics; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Anorexia of aging; Appetite loss; Frailty; Older people