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Topical Area: Nutritional Epidemiology

Nutritional Epidemiology (II) (Poster Session)

(P29-014-23) Ultra-Processed Foods, Unprocessed/Minimally Processed Foods and Risk of Frailty in U.S. Women

Monday, July 24, 2023
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM ET
Location: Poster Board 140
Disclosure(s):
Teresa T. Fung, ScD, RD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Ellen A. Struijk, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: We examined the association between unprocessed/minimally processed foods (UMP) and ultra-processed foods (UMP) and risk of frailty. We also explored if the association with UPF was driven by poor diet quality.

Methods: 63,743 non-frail women aged 60+ from the Nurses’ Health Study was followed for up to 24 years. Frailty was defined by the FRAIL scale and diet was assessed every 4 years. UPF and UMP were identified based on the Nova classification. The association of UMP and UPF with risk of frailty was examined with Cox proportional hazard model adjusted for potential confounders.

Results: During the follow-up period, we recorded 15187 incident cases of frailty. Servings of UMP was positively correlated with the AHEI-2010 (r = 0.30, p < 0.001) while servings of UPF was somewhat inversely correlated with AHEI-2010 (r = -0.29, p < 0.001). The hazard ratio for servings of UMP comparing the highest to lowest quintile was 0.85 (95% CI=0.80, 0.91, p trend < 0.001). However, this was no longer statistically significant after adjustment for AHEI-2010. On the other hand, servings of UPF were directly associated with the risk of frailty, even after additional adjustment for AHEI-2010 (HR=1.35, 95% CI=1.27, 1.43, p trend < 0.001). Even at the top tertile of the AHEI-2010, UPF remained directly associated with the risk of frailty (HR comparing top to bottom quintile = 1.41, 95% CI=1.25, 1.59, p trend < 0.001). For components of UPF, we found a higher risk for frailty with each serving/day of artificial and sugar sweetened beverages; fat, spreads and condiments; packaged sweet snacks and desserts; meat/poultry/fish ready-to-eat products; yogurt and dairy based desserts; and other ultra-processed foods.

Conclusions: Higher intake of ultra-processed foods was associated with a higher risk of frailty in women. This was not completely explained by a lower diet quality.

Funding Sources: Instituto de Salud Carlos III, State Secretary of R+D+I of Spain, and FEDER/FSE grants FIS 20/1040<br>NIH grant UM1 CA186107