Association between geriatric nutritional risk index and risk of heart failure: a cross-sectional study

This study investigates the correlation between GNRI and the occurrence of heart failure (HF) using data from the NHANES database.

Data were derived from the NHANES study, a large-scale, nationwide epidemiological survey. The final sample consisted of 16,021 participants aged 60 and older after excluding those with missing GNRI data and those without HF. GNRI was calculated using serum albumin levels and body weight, and participants were categorized into quartiles based on their GNRI scores. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between GNRI and HF risk, adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates. Restricted cubic splines were used to visualize the relationship between GNRI and HF.

The analysis revealed that higher GNRI scores were associated with a lower risk of heart failure. Logistic regression showed that, after adjusting for confounders, higher GNRI quartiles had progressively lower odds of HF compared to the lowest quartile. The restricted cubic spline analysis confirmed a linear inverse relationship between GNRI and HF risk, indicating that better nutritional status, as indicated by higher GNRI, is linked to a reduced likelihood of heart failure.

Lower GNRI scores are associated with a higher prevalence of heart failure, highlighting the potential role of nutritional risk assessment in elderly populations. Further longitudinal studies are necessary to establish causality and explore the impact of nutritional improvements on heart failure outcomes.