# Association between ultra-processed foods intake and frailty risk in community-dwelling older adults

## TL;DR

Eating more ultra-processed foods is linked to a higher risk of frailty and exhaustion in older adults, especially men.

## Contribution

This study is among the first to show a significant association between ultra-processed food intake and frailty in older adults.

## Key findings

- Higher ultra-processed food intake was significantly linked to increased frailty risk (OR = 2.15).
- Men showed a stronger association between ultra-processed food intake and frailty (OR = 3.55).
- Exhaustion was significantly associated with ultra-processed food intake, especially in men (OR = 9.89).

## Abstract

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the association between Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) intake and the risk of frailty among community-dwelling older adults.

The current study was conducted on 368 community-dwelling older adults (with a mean age of 67.11 ± 6.21 years, of whom 55.2% were women) at health centers of Maragheh city in Iran. Body composition was measured by a body composition analyzer and physical activity by the short-form physical activity questionnaire. The UPFs intake were determined using NOVA classification, based on a self-administered 147-item semi-quantitative FFQ. Blood samples were derived for the evaluation of blood parameters. Raw and adjusted logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between UPFs intake tertiles and the risk of frailty.

Outcomes showed that the overall prevalence of frailty was 96 (26.1%). Results from the multivariable adjusted logistic regression model indicated that higher UPFs intake was significantly associated with higher odds of frailty (OR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.13–4.09, P = 0.019). Subgroup analysis also indicated that among men, higher UPF intake was significantly related to higher odds of frailty (OR = 3.55, 95% CI: 1.20–10.51, P = 0.022), but not for women (P > 0.05). Additionally, the results revealed that higher UPF intake was significantly associated with the risk of exhaustion (OR = 3.97, 95% CI: 1.89–8.34, P < 0.001), especially among men (OR = 9.89, 95% CI: 3.10–31.60, P < 0.001), unlike women (P > 0.05). However, there were no significant associations between UPFs intake and other components of frailty, including the risk of weight loss, slowness, dominant hand grip strength and low physical activity.

The results highlighted that higher UPFs intake was significantly associated with the risk of frailty and exhaustion among community-dwelling older adults, especially for men. Future large-scale prospective and interventional studies are warranted to validate these associations and elucidate underlying biological mechanisms.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41043-025-01209-2.