[Interactions between nutrition and frailty]

Nutrition is considered to play a key role in the multifactorial development of frailty. Conversely, frailty also affects nutrition. The aim of this article is to describe the interactions between these two entities in detail and to derive nutritional recommendations. On the one hand undernutrition and the resulting loss of body weight and muscle mass contribute to the development of sarcopenia and thus to the development of frailty. On the other hand obesity is associated with an increased risk of frailty even in middle age, presumably due to the accompanying chronic low-grade inflammation. At the nutrient level, protein is important as a building and regulatory substance: other nutrients appear to protect against frailty due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, with the associations best documented for a Mediterranean-style diet, which is rich in these components. In the presence of existing frailty, the same recommendations generally apply: adequate energy and protein intake as part of a plant-based, varied diet, but the implementation requires more attention. Routine screening for malnutrition is recommended to detect corresponding warning signs as early as possible and subsequently eliminate the causes. As frailty is rarely solely related to nutrition, nutritional interventions should be part of an overall program that at least includes physical activation. In summary, nutrition as a modifiable factor, offers enormous preventive potential, ideally starting early in life but even in old age it is not too late for positive adjustments.