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Associations Between Growth Differentiating Factor-15 and Frailty in Older Adults From the MAPT Study
Juan Luis Sánchez-Sánchez1,2, Yves Rolland1,2,3, Alexandre Lucas4
1IHU HealthAge, Toulouse, France.
Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle
|January 21, 2026
Summary
Elevated Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF-15) levels are linked to frailty in older adults. Higher GDF-15 indicates increased vulnerability and predicts a higher risk of developing frailty over time.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Biomarkers
- Inflammation and Aging
Background:
- Frailty is common in older adults, increasing health risks.
- Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF-15) is implicated in mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation.
- Limited evidence exists on the GDF-15 and frailty link in elderly populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between plasma GDF-15 levels and frailty.
- To explore GDF-15 as a potential biomarker for frailty onset in community-dwelling older adults.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of 1096 participants from the MAPT trial.
- Plasma GDF-15 measured at year 1; frailty assessed using Fried phenotype.
- Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses using logistic and Cox regression models over 4 years.
Main Results:
- Higher plasma GDF-15 showed a cross-sectional association with frailty.
- Very high GDF-15 levels predicted an increased risk of incident frailty longitudinally.
Conclusions:
- Elevated plasma GDF-15 is associated with frailty in older adults.
- GDF-15 may serve as a biomarker for vulnerability and future frailty risk.
- Results suggest GDF-15 has a pleiotropic role, with low levels not contributing to frailty.
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