Differential Associations of Total and Added Sugar Intake With Frailty in Older Adults: Analysis From a National...

To elucidate the differential associations between total and added sugar consumption and frailty risk in older Korean adults.

Cross-sectional study.

Data from 2806 adults aged ≥60 years were obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016-2019).

Dietary sugar intake was assessed using 24-hour recall data. Total (natural plus added) and added (processing/cooking only) sugar intakes were categorized into <10%, 10% to 20%, and ≥20% and <5%, 5% to 10%, and ≥10% of total energy, respectively. Frailty was assessed using modified Fried criteria. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between sugar intake and frailty. Restricted cubic spline analyses were conducted to explore potential nonlinear relationships.

Participants with a total sugar intake of ≥20% of total energy showed significantly lower odds of frailty compared to those with <10% intake [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.47, 95% CI 0.26-0.85, P = .036]. For added sugar intake, the 5% to 10% group demonstrated significantly lower odds of frailty compared with the <5% group (adjusted OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.41-0.89, P = .033), with no significant difference in the ≥10% group (P > .05). Nonlinearity tests showed no statistical significance.

Higher total sugar intake and moderate added sugar intake were associated with lower frailty risk in older Korean adults. These findings highlight the importance of considering both the amount and source of dietary sugars when developing nutritional guidelines for healthy aging. Future policies should focus on nuanced dietary recommendations rather than universal restriction for the older adult population.