Association between oral, social, and physical frailty in community -dwelling older adults

Objectives: Oral frailty (OF) has been shown to be a predictor of disability. Therefore, it is important to be able to identify factors associated with OF in order to prevent long-term dependence. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationships between OF, social frailty (SF), and physical frailty (PF) in community-dwelling older adults, with the overarching aim of informing the future development of effective measures to prevent frailty. Methods: Oral, physical, and social function, nutritional and psychological status, and medical history were examined in 682 community-dwelling individuals (267 men, 415 women) aged ≥ 65 years. Ordinal logistic regression analysis with SF and PF as independent variables was performed with pass analysis to determine the relationship between the different types of frailty. Results: Logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between OF and decline in social function, physical function, and nutritional status, and an increase in the number of medications used. Path analysis showed that SF was directly related to OF and that OF and SF were directly related to PF. Conclusions: These findings suggest that a decline in social function may directly influence a decline in oral and physical function. The results of this study provide initial evidence, that may guide the future development of measures that aim to prevent and manage OF

Characteristics of blood biomarkers and eating behavior among older community-dwelling adults with typical and atypical depression

Summary: Background &amp; Aims: Depression is receiving increase attention for its relation to lifestyle-related diseases. We aim to assess differences in blood biomarkers and dietary habit between individuals with typical and atypical depression. Methods: We gathered data from 804 older Japanese individuals. Participants with diagnosed depression were further grouped into typical or atypical subtypes. Dietary habits were measured by a dietary variety score. Considering the small sample size, descriptive analysis and logistic regression analysis adjusted by propensity score were used to evaluate the associations of blood biomarkers and dietary habits with typical and atypical depression. Results: Via interviews, 777 participants were confirmed to not be depressed, with the remaining 27 individuals having either typical (n = 18) or atypical (n = 9) depression. Weight, BMI, HbA1c levels, and the proportion of never drinkers were higher in the depressed group than in the non-depressed group (P = 0.04, P = 0.02, P = 0.04, P < 0.01, respectively). The habit of fruit intake was lower in the depression group (P = 0.01). Atypical depression was positively associated with weight and BMI (odds ratio: OR 1.06, P = 0.02, OR 1.20, P = 0.01), while typical depression had a positive relation to HbA1c (OR 1.76, P = 0.01). As for eating habit, atypical depression was negatively associated with fruit intake (OR 0.38, P < 0.01). Conclusions: Depression in older individuals was positively associated with weight (atypical type), BMI (atypical type), HbA1c (typical type), and low fruit intake (atypical type)

Relation between knee extension torque and occlusal force in community-dwelling elderly adults

The relation between occlusal force and general motor ability induced by lower-limb musculature is unclear. To identify indicators of oral and lower-limb muscle weakness, this study examined the relation between masticatory muscle strength and lower limb muscle force in 742 community-dwelling elderly adults (315 men and 427 women, mean age 733 +/- 5.5 years) living in Itabashi ward, Tokyo. Multiple regression analysis of the relation between occlusal force and knee extension torque, in relation to age and sex, showed a significant correlation between the two variables (r = 0.348, P < 0.001), which indicates that occlusal force is a determinant of knee extension torque. Occlusal force remained significantly correlated with knee extension torque after adjustment for factors known to be related to the latter. In conclusion, chewing function and lower-limb motor function were significantly correlated and thus might be indicators of muscle weakness in elderly adults