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Objectives: The present study examined the associations between the dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), physical function, and the prevalence of sarcopenia in Italian community-dwelling older adults. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Unconventional settings across Italy (e.g., exhibitions, health promotion campaigns). Participants: Older adults (65+ years) who provided a written informed consent. Methods: Physical function was evaluated according to isometric handgrip strength (IHG) and 5-time sit-to-stand (5STS) performances. Muscle power parameters were estimated based on 5STS values. Sarcopenia was operationalized according to the presence of low physical function (IHG or 5STS) plus low appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM), estimated according to calf circumference. A 12-item food questionary was used to estimate the dietary intake of PUFAs, which included omega-3 (α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid) and omega-6 fatty acids. Results: Multiple linear regression results indicate negative and significant associations between the dietary intake of α-linolenic acid and muscle power, and between docosahexaenoic acid consumption and ASM. No significant associations were found between PUFAs-related variables and sarcopenia. Conclusions: Results of the present study indicate that PUFAs-related variables were negatively and significantly associated with physical function and body composition in older adults. Nevertheless, no significant associations were found with sarcopenia. These findings suggest that a more detailed analysis of covariates should be conducted in future investigations that aim to examine the associations between the dietary intake of PUFAs and sarcopenia-related parameters.

Background: An age-dependent normative values of calf circumference (CC) has been recently proposed as an accessible proxy for muscle mass. However, its usefulness to estimate sarcopenia has not been assessed. The objectives of the present study were to determine if the substitution of the classical way to assess muscle mass by these values have enough diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value among older adults living in the community. Methods: Data from the Toledo Study of Healthy Ageing (TSHA) were used. CC was measured using an anthropometric tape. We used two age-groups CC cut-off points: the TSHA CC median and the one proposed in the Longevity Check-up 7+ (Lookup 7+) project. Sarcopenia was defined based on the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2), the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), and FNIH criteria standardized for our population (sFNIH). Frailty (according to the Frailty Phenotype and the Frailty Trait Scale-5) and disability (Katz index) were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Mortality and first hospitalization were also recorded. Logistic (incident frailty and worsening disability) and Cox (mortality and hospitalization) regressions were performed. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed through Kappa index, AUCs, positive and negative predictive values. Predictive ability was assessed through AUCs and integrated AUCs (IAUCs). Results: 1531 participants (74.8 ± 5.8 years; 45.6% men) were included in the analysis. Prevalence rates of sarcopenia were 22.7% (sFNIH), 15.0% (FNIH), and 13.9% (EWGSOP2). Using TSHA-based cut-points of CC, the prevalence of sarcopenia was 16.8% (sFNIH), 11.0% (FNIH), and 11.5% (EWGSOP2). According to LC7+-based CC cut-off points, sarcopenia prevalence was 17.6% (sFNIH), 11.9% (FNIH), and 12.4% (EWGSOP2). CC cut-off points showed low-to-moderate agreement (Kappa Index values between 0.49 and 0.69) with appendicular lean mass for the evaluation of sarcopenia. Sarcopenia identified by Lookup 7+ and TSHA CC cut-off points was associated with the adverse events examined, with similar AUCs and IAUCs than original sarcopenia definitions, and were lost after adjustment by baseline frailty, except when the original EWGSOP2 definition was used. Conclusions: Using normalized values of CC as a criteria of muscle mass shows moderate agreement with classical criteria for diagnosing sarcopenia and offer similar predictive value in community-dwelling older adults.

Abstract Background Little research has been undertaken on the benefits of frailty management within different hospital settings. The objective of this study is to provide evidence on the viability and effectiveness of frailty management in non‐geriatric hospital settings on mortality and functional decline after discharge. Methods Data from the FRAILCLINIC (NCT02643069) study were used. FRAILCLINIC is a randomized controlled trial developed in non‐geriatric hospital inpatient settings (emergency room, cardiology and surgery) from Spain (2), Italy (2) and the United Kingdom (1). Inpatients must met frailty criteria (according to the Frailty Phenotype and/or FRAIL scale), ≥75 years old. The control group (CG) received usual care. The intervention group (IG) received comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and a coordinated intervention consisting in recommendations to the treating physician about polypharmacy, delirium, falls, nutrition and physical exercise plus a discharge plan. The main outcomes included functional decline (worsening ≥5 points in Barthel Index) and mortality at 3 months. We used multivariate logistic regression models adjusted by age, gender and the Charlson index. Intention‐to‐treat (ITT) and per‐protocol (PP) analyses were used. Results Eight hundred twenty one participants (IG: 416; mean age 83.00 ± 4.91; 51.44% women; CG: 405; mean age 82.46 ± 6.03; 52.35% women) were included. In the IG, 77.16% of the participants followed the geriatric team's recommendations as implemented by the treating physicians. The intervention showed a benefit on functional decline and mortality [OR: 0.67(0.47–0.96), P‐value 0.027 and 0.29(0.14–0.57), P‐value

Background: Supplementation with β-hydroxy β-methyl butyrate (HMB) appears to be effective in preserving muscle in older adults. However, the association between endogenously produced HMB with frailty has not been studied in people with chronic disease. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to explore whether an association exists between endogenous HMB levels and frailty status in older adults with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: Data were taken from the Toledo Study of Healthy Ageing, a community-dwelling aged (65 years+) cohort. Frailty was assessed at baseline and at 2.99 median years according to the Frailty Phenotype (FP) standardized to our population and the Frailty Trait Scale 12 (FTS12). The associations between HMB levels and frailty were assessed using three nested multivariate logistic regressions and segmented by sex. Glucose, HMB and glucose interaction, age and body composition were used as covariables. Results: 255 participants (mean age 75.3 years, 52.94% men) were included. HMB levels showed an inverse cross-sectional association with frailty, which was modified when the interaction term HMB*glucose was included, remaining significant only for FTS12 [OR (95% CI): 0.436 (0.253, 0.751), p-value 0.003]. The association between HMB endogenous levels and FTS12 appears to be independent of sex, in which the association was maintained after adjusting for the covariates. However, there appears to be threshold points for glucose levels, above which the protective effect of HMB is lost: 145.4 mg/dl adjusted by gender for the whole sample and 149.6 mg/dl and 138.9 mg/dl for men and women, respectively. Endogenous HMB levels were not found to be associated with incident frailty. Conclusions: Cross-sectional analysis revealed that endogenous HMB levels were inversely associated with frailty as assessed by the FTS12 in older people with T2DM. This association was found to be dependent on circulating fasted glucose levels.

Conclusion: Older adults diagnosed with COPD exhibited a significant DTI compared to HCSs, which is characterized by poorer physical and cognitive performance during DT execution. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating DT assessments into clinical practice for individuals with COPD.

Abstract Background Frailty and sarcopenia are age‐associated syndromes that have been associated with the risk of several adverse events, mainly functional decline and death, that usually coexist. However, the potential role of one of them (sarcopenia) in modulating some of those adverse events associated to the other one (frailty) has not been explored. The aim of this work is to assess the role of sarcopenia within the frailty transitions and mortality in older people. Methods Data from the Toledo Study of Healthy Aging (TSHA) were used. TSHA is a cohort of community‐dwelling older adults ≥65. Frailty was assessed according with the Frailty Phenotype (FP) and the Frailty Trait Scale‐5 (FTS5) at baseline and at follow‐up. Basal sarcopenia status was measured with the standardized Foundation for the National Institutes of Health criteria. Fisher's exact test and logistic regression model were used to determine if sarcopenia modified the transition of frailty states (median follow‐up of 2.99 years) and Cox proportional hazard model was used for assessing mortality. Results There were 1538 participants (74.73 ± 5.73; 45.51% men) included. Transitions from robustness to prefrailty and frailty according to FP were more frequent in sarcopenic than in non‐sarcopenic participants (32.37% vs. 15.18%, P ≤ 0.001; 5.76% vs. 1.12%; P ≤ 0.001, respectively) and from prefrailty‐to‐frailty (12.68% vs. 4.27%; P = 0.0026). Improvement from prefrail‐to‐robust and remaining robust was more frequent in non‐sarcopenic participants (52.56% vs. 33.80%, P ≤ 0.001; 80.18% vs 61.15%, P ≤ 0.001, respectively). When classified by FTS5, this was also the case for the transition from non‐frail‐to‐frail (25.91% vs. 4.47%, P ≤ 0.001) and for remaining stable as non‐frail (91.25% vs. 70.98%, P ≤ 0.001). Sarcopenia was associated with an increased risk of progression from robustness‐to‐prefrailty [odds ratio (OR) 2.34 (95% confidence interval, CI) (1.51, 3.63); P ≤ 0.001], from prefrailty‐to‐frailty [OR(95% CI) 2.50 (1.08, 5.79); P = 0.033] (FP), and from non‐frail‐to‐frail [OR(95% CI) 4.73 (2.94, 7.62); P‐value ≤ 0.001]. Sarcopenia does not seem to modify the risk of death associated with a poor frailty status (hazard ratios (HR, 95%) P > 0.05). Conclusions Transitions within frailty status, but not the risk of death associated to frailty, are modulated by the presence of sarcopenia.

Abstract Objectives Frailty and sarcopenia have been related with adverse events, including hospitalization. However, its combined effect with hospitalization-related outcomes, including costs, has not been previously investigated. Our purpose was to explore how frailty, sarcopenia and its interaction could impact on healthcare expenditures. Methods 1358 community-dwelling older adults from the Toledo Study of Healthy Ageing (TSHA) were included. Sarcopenia was measured using the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health criteria fitted to our cohort. Frailty was defined according to Frailty Trait Scale 5 (FTS5) and the Frailty Index fitted to the cut-off points of TSHA population. Hospitalization costs were taken from hospital records and costs were attributed according to Diagnostic-Related Groups, using as the cost base year 2015. Two-part regression models were used to analyze the relationship between frailty and sarcopenia and hospital admission, number of hospitalizations, length of stay and hospitalization costs. Results Sarcopenia was associated only with the probability of being admitted to hospital. Frailty was also associated with higher hospital use, regardless of the frailty tool used, but in addition increased hospital admission costs at follow-up by 23.72% per year and by 19.73% in the full model compared with non-frail individuals. The presence of sarcopenia did not increase the costs of frailty but, by opposite, frailty significantly increased the costs in people with sarcopenia, reaching by 46–56%/patient/year at follow-up. Older adults with frailty and sarcopenia had a higher risk of hospitalization, disregarding the tool used to assess frailty, and higher hospitalization costs (FTS5) in the full model, at the cross-sectional and at the follow-up level. Conclusions Frailty is associated with increased hospitalization costs and accounts for the potential effects of sarcopenia.

Abstract Background Physical exercise is an effective strategy for preserving functional capacity and improving the symptoms of frailty in older adults. In addition to functional gains, exercise is considered to be a cornerstone for enhancing cognitive function in frail older adults with cognitive impairment and dementia. We assessed the effects of the Vivifrail exercise intervention for functional capacity, cognition, and well‐being status in community‐dwelling older adults. Methods In a multicentre randomized controlled trial conducted in three tertiary hospitals in Spain, a total of 188 older patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia (aged >75 years) were randomly assigned to an exercise intervention (n = 88) or a usual‐care, control (n = 100) group. The intervention was based on the Vivifrail tailored multicomponent exercise programme, which included resistance, balance, flexibility (3 days/week), and gait‐retraining exercises (5 days/week) and was performed for three consecutive months (http://vivifrail.com). The usual‐care group received habitual outpatient care. The main endpoint was change in functional capacity from baseline to 1 and 3 months, assessed with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Secondary endpoints were changes in cognitive function and handgrip strength after 1 and 3 months, and well‐being status, falls, hospital admission rate, visits to the emergency department, and mortality after 3 months. Results The Vivifrail exercise programme provided significant benefits in functional capacity over usual‐care. The mean adherence to the exercise sessions was 79% in the first month and 68% in the following 2 months. The intervention group showed a mean increase (over the control group) of 0.86 points on the SPPB scale (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32, 1.41 points; P 0.05). Conclusions The Vivifrail exercise training programme is an effective and safe therapy for improving functional capacity in community‐dwelling frail/prefrail older patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia and also seems to have beneficial effect on cognition, muscle function, and mood status.

Abstract Background The association between frailty and adverse outcomes has been clearly defined. Frailty is associated with age, but different frailty evolution patterns might determine the incidence of adverse outcomes at older ages. So far, few observational studies have examined how distinct frailty trajectories could be associated with differences in the risk of adverse events and assessing whether frailty trajectories could define risk of death, hospitalization, worsening, and incident disability better than one‐off assessment. Our hypothesis is that prospective increases in frailty levels are associated with higher risk of adverse events compared with subjects that prospectively decreased frailty levels. Methods Participants' data were taken from the Toledo Study of Healthy Ageing. Frailty was evaluated using the Frailty Trait Scale 5 (FTS5), being 0 the lower (the most robust) and 50 the highest (the frailest) score. FTS5 scores at baseline and follow‐up (median 5.04 years) were used to construct frailty trajectories according to group‐based trajectory modelling (GBTM). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard and logistic regression models were used to explore associations between frailty status and trajectory membership and the adverse outcomes. Deaths were ascertained through the Spanish National Death Index. Disability was evaluated through the Katz Index. Hospitalization was defined as first admission to Toledo Hospital. Results Nine hundred and seventy‐five older adults (mean age 73.14 ± 4.69; 43.38% men) were included. GBTM identified five FTS5 trajectories: worsening from non‐frailty (WNF), improving to non‐frailty (INF), developing frailty (DF), remaining frail (RF), and increasing frailty (IF). Subjects belonging to trajectories of increasing frailty scores or showing consistently higher frailty levels presented with an increased risk of mortality {DF [hazard ratio (HR), 95% confidence interval (CI)] = 2.01 [1.21–3.32]; RF = 1.92 [1.18–3.12]; IF = 2.67 [1.48–4.81]}, incident [DF (HR, 95% CI) = 2.06 (1.11–3.82); RF = 2.29 (1.30–4.03); IF = 3.55 (1.37–9.24)], and worsening disability [DF (HR, 95% CI) = 2.11 (1.19–3.76); RF = 2.14 (1.26–3.64); IF = 2.21 (1.06–4.62)], compared with subjects prospectively showing decreases in frailty levels or maintaining low FTS5 scores. A secondary result was a significant dose–response relationship between baseline FTS5 score and adverse events. Conclusions Belonging to trajectories of prospectively increasing/consistently high frailty scores over time are associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes compared with maintaining low or reducing frailty scores. Our results support the dynamic nature of frailty and the potential benefit of interventions aimed at reducing its levels on relevant and burdensome adverse outcomes.

Frailty, a consequence of the interaction of the aging process and certain chronic diseases, compromises functional outcomes in the elderly and substantially increases their risk for developing disabilities and other adverse outcomes. Frailty follows from the combination of several impaired physiological mechanisms affecting multiple organs and systems. And, though frailty and sarcopenia are related, they are two different conditions. Thus, strategies to preserve or improve functional status should consider systemic function in addition to muscle conditioning. Physical activity/exercise is considered one of the main strategies to counteract frailty-related physical impairment in the elderly. Exercise reduces age-related oxidative damage and chronic inflammation, increases autophagy, and improves mitochondrial function, myokine profile, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling pathway, and insulin sensitivity. Exercise interventions target resistance (strength and power), aerobic, balance, and flexibility work. Each type improves different aspects of physical functioning, though they could be combined according to need and prescribed as a multicomponent intervention. Therefore, exercise intervention programs should be prescribed based on an individual's physical functioning and adapted to the ensuing response.