Higher frailty over time linked to osteoporosis risk
Compared with low-frailty groups, higher-frailty groups generally faced greater osteoporosis risk in three observational cohorts of adults aged 50 and older.
Limit: The study measured associations, not the effects of improving muscle strength on osteoporosis risk
Researchers analyzed data from adults aged 50 and older in three cohorts for a longitudinal observational study of frailty and new cases of osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones. They measured frailty—the body's reduced capacity to cope with stress—using a Frailty Index and identified four patterns over time.
Higher starting scores were associated with greater osteoporosis risk in all three cohorts. Groups with higher frailty over time generally had greater risk than the low-frailty group. In two cohorts, risk rose more steeply at lower frailty scores. Grip strength partly accounted for the association in the analysis. Median follow-up was four years in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, six in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, and eight in the Health and Retirement Study.
Why it matters
Declining physical reserves may help identify older adults at risk of bone weakening. The authors suggested that monitoring frailty and improving muscle strength may help reduce osteoporosis risk.
Caveats
The observational design cannot establish cause and effect or show that improving muscle strength reduces osteoporosis risk. The findings concern adults aged 50 and older.
