Modulation of frailty syndrome by diet: A review of evidence from mouse studies

Frailty is a progressive, aging-related syndrome of unknown etiology characterized by increased susceptibility and decreased resilience to external stressors. Understanding underlying mechanisms and identifying interventions to improve resilience are major challenges in biogerontology. Adequate nutrition is central to organismal health and wellbeing and can be modulated to improve longevity. While there are clear associations between poor nutrition (excess or deficient calorie intake) and frailty in humans, only recently has the link between frailty and nutrition been addressed in experimental model systems in which causality and molecular mechanisms can be explored. Here we review the evidence linking nutrition to the frailty syndrome, including individual aspects such as muscle function, body composition and chronic disease, with a specific focus on mouse models and experimental nutritional interventions including dietary restriction.