Predicting the unseen: nutritional interventions as a key to combat frailty

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Nutrition Science

Background:

• Frailty and malnutrition are critical public health issues in aging populations.
• Malnutrition exacerbates frailty, negatively impacting quality of life and health outcomes in older adults.
• A comprehensive analysis of research trends in this area is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically analyze core themes and emerging research directions in frailty and nutrition status among older adults.
• To identify key research frontiers and guide future development in the field.
• To provide a bibliometric overview of the academic landscape.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis and knowledge mapping were performed.
• Data was sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC).
• CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and R software were utilized for analysis.

Main Results:

• Over 2,357 publications were analyzed from 2005-2024, showing a consistent upward trend.
• Research focus has shifted from molecular biology to clinical domains including geriatrics, oncology, and pharmacology.
• Emerging hotspots include early identification and management of malnutrition, with keywords like "prediction," "nutritional assessment MNA," "intervention," and "infection."

Conclusions:

• This bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of research evolution, hotspots, and frontiers in frailty and nutrition status in older adults.
• The findings offer valuable insights for future research, resource allocation, and policymaking.
• The study highlights the growing significance and ongoing research interest in this field.