Meat, egg and dairy intake and frailty in older Chinese adults
What it found
In older adults in China, eating one or two kinds of meat, egg or dairy was linked to a slower rise in frailty over ten years, while eating all three was linked to a faster rise in rural residents and women.
What they found
Studies in people
Frailty rose over time
Frailty levels went up over the ten years in the whole group and in every subgroup, whatever their meat, egg and dairy intake. The authors say this fits the usual decline in body function with age.
One or two kinds linked to slower frailty
People who ate one kind of meat, egg or dairy had a slower rise in frailty than those who ate none. Eating two kinds was also linked to slower frailty in women.
Three kinds linked to faster frailty in some
Rural residents who ate all three kinds had a faster rise in frailty than those who ate none, and the same was seen in women. The authors suggest this may be because eating all three can mean too much saturated fat and cholesterol, or that these foods crowd out fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Urban and male residents ate more
Urban residents and men reported eating more meat, eggs and dairy than rural residents and women, and this difference stayed across all four survey waves. The authors say this may be due to greater food access and traditional preferences.
Frailty levels at the start
At the start of the study, frailty scores ranged from 0 to 0.62, with an average of 0.076. Urban residents and women had higher average frailty than rural residents and men, even though their highest scores were lower.
What the authors conclude
“However, we also found the potential protective effect of moderate MED consumption, as well as a faster increase in frailty linking to high MED consumption, particularly among rural and female residents.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the findings have important implications for public health policies and interventions aimed at promoting healthy aging in Chinese older adults.
- They suggest targeted nutritional education programs that emphasize balanced meat, egg and dairy consumption and promote traditional dietary practices that prioritize light, non-greasy foods.
- They advise that interventions tailored to specific groups, such as rural and female residents, should address socioeconomic disparities and cultural influences on dietary habits.
How it was done
The authors wanted to look at how eating meat, eggs and dairy together relates to frailty in older adults, which had not been studied much. They also wanted to see if this link differed between rural and urban residents and between men and women in China.
They used data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey from 2008 to 2018, following 2312 people aged 55 and over who took part in all four survey waves. They scored how many of the three food types each person ate regularly and tracked their frailty over the ten years.
What it can’t tell you
- This study followed people over time, so it can show links between eating habits and frailty, but it cannot prove that meat, egg or dairy intake directly causes frailty to rise or fall.
- The dietary and frailty information was self-reported, which may introduce bias and measurement errors.
- Frailty was not measured the same way in every survey wave, and some indicators like cognitive function were only available in 2018.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Start-up Foundation for Scientific Research in Beijing Foreign Studies University; Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- Beijing Foreign Studies University, China
The paper
- Title
- Meat-Egg-Dairy Consumption and Frailty among Chinese Older Adults: Exploring Rural/Urban and Gender Differences
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Zhang K, Wu J (2024). Meat-Egg-Dairy Consumption and Frailty among Chinese Older Adults: Exploring Rural/Urban and Gender Differences. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu16091334Free full textPubMed 38732580DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error