Eating meat linked to lower likelihood of frailty in older adults

Eating enough meat was associated with a lower likelihood of decreased physical strength and resilience in old age. This conclusion was reached by Chinese scientists, whose study was published in Frontiers in Nutrition.

The study involved 5,484 Nanjing residents over the age of 60 years. Scientists studied their diet and assessed signs of frailty, a condition in which a person becomes weaker and copes worse with physical and daily activities.

Frailty was detected in 16.9 percent of participants. It became more common with age, rising from 13.2 percent among younger older adults to 32.8 percent among the oldest age group.

Participants who ate the recommended amount of meat were about 30 percent less likely to experience frailty than those who ate less than the recommended level of meat. The association persisted after controlling for other factors and was observed in most groups studied.

The authors suggest that a sufficient amount of meat in the diet may be one of the factors in maintaining physical condition in old age.