Lower Vitamin E Levels Linked to Frailty in Elderly

BALTIMORE--In a population-based epidemiological study coordinated by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), researchers found lower plasma levels of vitamin E were associated with frailty in older persons. The study included 827 older ( 65 years) men and women who were rated on frailty based on five features: self-reported weight loss, low energy, slow gait speed, low grip strength and low physical activity. Participants with none of these features were considered nonfrail, those with one or two were intermediate frail, and three or more qualified as frail. Plasma vitamin E levels were measured, as were confounders including lower extremity muscle strength, cognitive function, diseases and factors related to vitamin E metabolism. Age- and gender-adjusted levels of vitamin E decreased gradually from the nonfrail to frail group, with participants in the highest vitamin E tertile one third less likely to be frail than those in the lowest tertile.

The study appeared in The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences (61:278-83, 2006).

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