LAUSR

PurposeTo investigate the cross-sectional and prospective associations between patterns of serum fat-soluble micronutrients and frailty in four European cohorts of older adults 65 years of age and older.MethodsParticipants from the Three-City (Bordeaux, France), AMI (Gironde, France), TSHA (Toledo, Spain) and InCHIANTI (Tuscany, Italy) cohorts with available data on serum α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, cryptoxanthin, lutein + zeaxanthin, retinol, α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D) were included. A principal component (PC) analysis was used to derive micronutrient patterns. Frailty was defined using Fried’s criteria. Multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for socio-demographic and health-related covariates were performed to assess the association between micronutrient patterns and prevalent frailty in 1324 participants, and the risk of frailty in 915 initially non-frail participants.ResultsThree different patterns were identified: the first pattern was characterized by higher serum carotenoids and α-tocopherol levels; the second was characterized by high loadings for serum vitamins A and E levels and low loadings for carotenes level; the third one had the highest loading for serum 25(OH)D and cryptoxanthin level and the lowest loading for vitamin A and E. A significant cross-sectional association was only observed between the seconnd PC and prevalent frailty (p = 0.02). Compared to the highest quartile, participants in the lowest quartile—i.e., high carotenes and low vitamins E and A levels—had higher odds of frailty (Odds ratio = 2.2; 95% confidence interval 1.3–3.8). No association with the risk of frailty was observed.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that some specific micronutrient patterns are markers but not predictors of frailty in these European cohorts of older adults.