Dietary diversity, frailty, and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study from Türkiye

Background With the global increase in the older adults population, early detection of health risks and the promotion of healthy aging have become increasingly important. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between dietary diversity and frailty, cognitive function, activities of daily living, phytonutrients intake and nutritional status in Turkish older adults. Methods This cross-sectional study included a total of 1744 community-dwelling individuals aged 65 and older from different geographical regions of Türkiye. Sociodemographic characteristics and certain anthropometric measurements of the participants were recorded. The Dietary Diversity Score (DDS), Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF), two-day 24-h dietary recall for dietary intake, Phytonutrient Index, Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (Katz ADL), Edmonton Frailty Scale (EFS), and Standardized Mini Mental State Examination (SMMSE) were used. Results Of the participants, 3.3% were classified as severely frail, 20.7% were at risk of malnutrition, 21.7% had moderate to severe cognitive impairment, and 18.6% had low DDS. A significant positive correlation was found between DDS and energy intake (r = 0.453, p < 0.01), carbohydrate (g) ( r = 0.341, p < 0.01), protein (g) ( r = 0.434, p < 0.01), fat (g) ( r = 0.438, p < 0.01), phytonutrient intake ( r = 0.296, p < 0.01), nutritional status (MNA-SF: r = 0.088, p < 0.01), and cognitive function (SMMSE: r = 0.075, p < 0.01). A negative correlation was found between DDS and frailty ( r = −0.060, p < 0.05). However, according to the multinomial logistic regression model, the associations between DDS and MNA-SF, SMMSE, ADL, and frailty did not persist. Additionally, participants in the low DDS group were significantly less likely to exhibit high phytonutrient intake ( p < 0.001). Conclusion No significant association was found between dietary diversity and nutritional status, activities of daily living, functional and cognitive frailty in the older adults Turkish population. It is considered that regular monitoring of nutritional status and interventions aimed at increasing dietary diversity in the older adults population may promote healthy aging.