Effectiveness of Nutritional Interventions in Pre-Frail or Frail Older Adults: A Scoping Review

Background/Objectives: Frailty is a complex geriatric syndrome that requires a comprehensive evaluation. This approach should consider not only physical symptoms but also cognitive, psychological, functional, nutritional, and social aspects. Nutritional status is a critical and modifiable factor, making it a key area for intervention in the prevention and management of frailty. Therefore, a scoping review was conducted to determine the effectiveness of nutritional intervention in frail/pre-frail older adults. Methods: We adopted the PRISMA-Scoping approach, and we sought studies published in MEDLINE and Scopus databases. Results: We screened 3038 studies and finally we included a total of 19 studies. The interventions included nutritional education, counseling, and supplementation, most in combination with exercise. Nutritional interventions improved frailty status, physical performance, functional status, and quality of life in older adults. Conclusions: Consequently, this scoping review indicates that multifactorial interventions combining nutritional interventions with physical activity are clearly more effective than a single approach in improving the quality of life of older patients with frailty. These provisional findings may generate hypotheses for policymakers to consider multifaceted interventions for older patients with frailty.