Association of regular aerobic exercises and neuromuscular junction variants with incidence of frailty: an analysis of the Chinese Longitudinal Health and Longevity Survey

Association of cooking oil and incident of frailty in older adults: a cohort study

BACKGROUND

Studies examining the potential association between cooking oil and frailty risk in older adults have produced conflicting outcomes. Therefore, our objective was to explore the relationship between cooking oil (vegetable and animal fat oils), changes in oil usage, and the risk of frailty in older adults.

METHODS

We included 4,838 participants aged ≥ 65 years without frailty (frailty index < 0.25) from the 2011 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Follow-up occurred in the 2014 and 2018 waves. Cox proportional hazard models were utilized to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to examine the association between cooking oil and frailty. Additionally, we evaluated the effect of switching cooking oil on frailty during the follow-up period.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 3.0 (2.8-6.9) years, 1,348 individuals (27.9%) developed frailty. Compared to those using vegetable oil, users of animal fat oil had a lower risk of frailty (HR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.61-0.85). Participants who switched from vegetable oil to animal fat oil, as well as those consistently using animal fat oil, had lower risks of frailty with HRs of 0.70 (0.52-0.95) and 0.63 (0.51-0.77) respectively, compared to those who consistently used vegetable oil. Conversely, individuals who switched from animal fat oil to vegetable oil experienced an increased risk of frailty (HR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.01-1.97).

CONCLUSIONS

The utilization of animal fat oil in cooking exhibited a reduced frailty risk among older adults. Conversely, transitioning from animal fat oil to vegetable oil may elevate the risk. These findings propose that substituting vegetable oil with animal fat oil in the diet may safeguard against frailty.

Biomass fuel usage for cooking and frailty among older adults in China: a population-based cohort study

Background

Although outdoor air pollution is reported to have a negative effect on frailty, evidence involving household air pollution is sparse.

Methods

A cohort study on older participants aged ≥65 years from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey was conducted between 2011/2012 and 2014. Household cooking fuel types were determined by self-reported questionaries, and were dichotomized into clean or biomass fuels. The frailty status was evaluated via a 46-item frailty index (FI) and the FRAIL scale, respectively. Frailty was identified if FI >0.21 or FRAIL score ≥3. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to examine the relationship between cooking fuels and incident frailty. And the effects of swapping cooking fuels on frailty risk were also explored.

Results

Among 4,643 participants (mean age at baseline 80.9 ± 9.6 years, 53.7% male) totaling 11,340 person-years, 923 (19.9%) incident frailty was identified using FI. Compared to clean fuels, cooking with biomass fuels was intricately linked to a 23% rise in frailty risk (hazard ratio [HR] 1.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.43). A similar association was detected between biomass cooking fuels and frailty measured by the FRAIL scale (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.04-1.50). Sensitive analyses supported the independent relationship between biomass fuels and frailty. Stratified analyses revealed that the frailty risk was higher among town residents (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.13-1.84) and participants not exercising regularly (HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.11-1.64). In comparison with persistent biomass fuels usage, switching to clean fuels had a trend to reduce the frailty risk, and the opposite effect was observed when swapping from clean to biomass fuels.

Conclusion

Cooking with biomass fuels was associated with an increased frailty risk in older adults, especially amongst those living in town and those lacking regular exercise. More studies are needed to confirm our findings and to evaluate the potential benefits of reducing indoor biomass fuel usage.

Association of blood lead exposure with frailty and its components among the Chinese oldest old

Lead (Pb) is a widespread environmental contaminant, associated with a higher risk of functional impairment that can lead to frailty in older adults. However, few studies focused on the association of Pb exposure with frailty among the oldest old (aged ≥ 80 years). In this study, we aimed to assess the associations of Pb with frailty and its components in the oldest old. The included individuals were the oldest old aged ≥ 80 years who participated in a 2017 cross-sectional survey of the Healthy Aging and Biomarkers Cohort Study. Frailty was ascertained by the frailty index, which was created based on health deficits. We used logistic regression models to estimate the association of blood Pb with frailty and its components. The geometric mean and median of blood Pb were 38.51 μg/L and 36.27 μg/L among the oldest old, respectively. Compared with the first quartile of blood Pb, participants in the fourth quartile had higher risk of frailty and its components, the ORs are 1.71 (1.22-2.41), 1.99 (1.35-2.94), 1.91 (1.25-2.93), 1.57 (1.13-2.17) and 1.43 (1.05-1.96), for frailty, ADL disability, IADL disability, functional limitations, and hearing loss in the oldest old, respectively. There was a significant interaction between blood Pb and frailty in different age groups. In conclusion, our findings provide preliminary evidence that higher blood Pb may increase the risk of frailty among the oldest old by increasing the risk of disability in four physical functions: disability in ADL, disability in IADL, functional limitations, and hearing loss.

High Intensity Interval Training: A Potential Method for Treating Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia, an age-related disease characterized by loss of muscle strength and muscle mass, has attracted the attention of medical experts due to its severe morbidity, low living quality, high expenditure of health care, and mortality. Traditionally, persistent aerobic exercise (PAE) is considered as a valid way to attenuate muscular atrophy. However, nowadays, high intensity interval training (HIIT) has emerged as a more effective and time-efficient method to replace traditional exercise modes. HIIT displays comprehensive effects on exercise capacity and skeletal muscle metabolism, and it provides a time-out for the recovery of cardiopulmonary and muscular functions without causing severe adverse effects. Studies demonstrated that compared with PAE, HIIT showed similar or even higher effects in improving muscle strength, enhancing physical performances and increasing muscle mass of elder people. Therefore, HIIT might become a promising way to cope with the age-related loss of muscle mass and muscle function. However, it is worth mentioning that no study of HIIT was conducted directly on sarcopenia patients, which is attributed to the suspicious of safety and validity. In this review, we will assess the effects of different training parameters on muscle and sarcopenia, summarize previous papers which compared the effects of HIIT and PAE in improving muscle quality and function, and evaluate the potential of HIIT to replace the status of PAE in treating old people with muscle atrophy and low modality; and point out drawbacks of temporary experiments. Our aim is to discuss the feasibility of HIIT to treat sarcopenia and provide a reference for clinical scientists who want to utilize HIIT as a new way to cope with sarcopenia.

Functional dentition is a modifier of the association between vitamin D and the frailty index among Chinese older adults: a population-based longitudinal study

Backgrounds

Although vitamin D and dentition status are each associated with frailty, their combined effects on frailty have not been studied. This study aimed to evaluate the combined effects of vitamin D and dentition status on frailty in old Chinese adults.

Methods

Baseline data were obtained from the 2011–2012 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. A total of 1074 participants ≥65 years who were non-frail or prefrail at baseline were included; follow-up was conducted in the 2014 wave. Frailty was assessed by a 40-item frailty index (FI) and classified into frail (FI > 0.21), prefrail (FI: 0.1–0.21), and non-frail (FI ≤0.1). Vitamin D was assessed by 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and categorized into quartiles and dichotomies (normal: ≥50 nmol/L vs. low: < 50 nmol/L). The presence of ≥20 natural teeth was defined as functional dentition, otherwise as non-functional dentition. We used bivariate logistic regression and restricted cubic splines to examine the association between vitamin D, dentition status, and frailty. We created a multiplicative interaction between vitamin D and dentition status to test for their combined effect.

Results

A total of 205 (19.1%) incident frailty were identified during the 3-year follow-up. Participants with the lowest quartile of plasma 25(OH) D were more likely to be frail (odds ratio [OR] 2.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.38 to 4.35) than those in the highest quartile. Older adults with the lowest quartile of 25(OH) D and non-functional dentition had the highest odds of frailty (OR = 3.67, 95% CI: 1.02 to 13.12). We also observed that a lower vitamin D level was associated with an increased risk of frailty with a threshold of 40.37 nmol/L using restricted cubic spline models. However, vitamin D levels were not significantly associated with frailty among participants with functional dentition.

Conclusions

Low vitamin D levels were associated with an increased risk of frailty in older adults. Functional dentition modified the association of vitamin D with frailty.

Association of urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio with incident frailty in older populations

Background

The longitudinal relationship of albuminuria with incident frailty remains unknown. Therefore we aimed to evaluate the relation of albuminuria with the risk of incident frailty in older adults.

Methods

A total of 1115 participants ≥65 years of age (average age 80.3 years) who were free of frailty in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey were included. The outcome was incident frailty, defined as a frailty index ≥0.25 during follow-up. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association of the urinary albumin:creatinine ratio (UACR) with frailty.

Results

During a median follow-up duration of 5.3 years, 295 (26.5%) participants developed incident frailty. Overall, the UACR was significantly positively associated with the risk of incident frailty (P for trend = 0.005), with a significantly higher risk of incident frailty in participants in the quartile 4 of UACR {≥13.43 mg/g; hazard ratio [HR] 1.64 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13–2.37]} compared with those in quartile 1 (<0.73 mg/g). Consistently, when UACRs were assessed as clinical categories, compared with participants with UACR <10 mg/g, those with UACR ≥30 mg/g had a higher HR of incident frailty [HR 1.61 (95% CI 1.17–2.20)]. Accounting for the competing risk of death also did not substantially change the results. In addition, a stronger positive association between UACR and incident frailty was found in those with a higher high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level (hs-CRP) (P for interaction = 0.045).

Conclusion

Albuminuria was positively associated with the risk of incident frailty, particularly in those with higher hs-CRP, emphasizing the importance of managing both albuminuria and inflammation for primary prevention of frailty.

Association between single nucleotide polymorphism of rs1937 in TFAM gene and longevity among the elderly Chinese population: based on the CLHLS study

Background

To investigate whether the mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) rs1937 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is associated with longevity.

Methods

We conducted a case-control study among Chinese long-lived individuals (≥90 years). Data were obtained on 3294 participants who were able to voluntarily provided a saliva sample during 2008–2009 from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). In this study, 1387 young elderly (65–74 years) were allocated to the control group, and 1907 long-lived individuals were recruited as the case group. SNP rs1937 on TFAM were genotyped. Logistic regression models were applied to evaluate the association between rs1937 SNP and longevity.

Results

The genotype frequency of the SNP of rs1937 in the two groups had a significant difference (p = 0.003). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that compared to younger elderly, the long-lived individuals with “CC genotype” of rs1937 were more closely related to increased longevity than those with “GG genotype” (OR: 1.989, 95% CI: 1.160–3.411). The positive association between rs1937 SNP and longevity was robust in stratified analyses and sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions

We found the SNP of rs1937 may be a potential biomarker for longer human life span. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the biological mechanism of rs1937 on TFAM with promoting longevity.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-021-02655-3.

Association of regular aerobic exercises and neuromuscular junction variants with incidence of frailty: an analysis of the Chinese Longitudinal Health and Longevity Survey

BACKGROUND

Candidate genes of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) pathway increased risk of frailty, but the extent and whether can be offset by exercises was unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between aerobic exercises and incident frailty regardless of NMJ pathway-related genetic risk.

METHODS

A cohort study on participants from Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey was conducted from 2008 to 2011. A total of 7006 participants (mean age of 80.6 ± 10.3 years) without frailty at baseline were interviewed to record aerobic exercise status, and 4053 individuals among them submitted saliva samples. NMJ pathway-related genes were genotyped and weighted genetic risk scores were constructed.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 3.1 years (19 634 person-years), there were 1345 cases (19.2%) of incident frailty. Persistent aerobic exercises were associated with a 26% lesser frailty risk [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.64-0.85]. This association was stronger in a subgroup of 1552 longevous participants (age between 90 and 111 years, adjusted HR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.60-0.87). High genetic risk was associated with a 35% increased risk of frailty (adjusted HR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.16-1.58). Of the participants with high genetic risk and no persistent aerobic exercises, there was a 59% increased risk of frailty (adjusted HR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.20-2.09). HRs for the risk of frailty increased from the low genetic risk with persistent aerobic exercise to high genetic risk without persistent aerobic exercise (P trend <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Both aerobic exercises and NMJ pathway-related genetic risk were significantly associated with frailty. Persistent aerobic exercises can partly offset NMJ pathway-related genetic risk to frailty in elderly people.