Dietary Oily Fish Intake and Frailty. A Population-Based Study in Frequent Fish Consumers Living in Rural Coastal Ecuador (the Atahualpa Project)

Abstract

Oily fish are recommended as part of a healthy diet due to their high content of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs), proteins, and other nutrients. There is preliminary evidence of beneficial effects of ω-3 PUFAs in the prevention of sarcopenia (a major component of frailty). In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship between dietary oily fish intake and a measure of frailty – the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) score – in community-dwelling older adults living in rural coastal Ecuador. A total of 363 Atahualpa residents were enrolled. The mean fish servings per week were 8.8 ± 5.2 and mean EFS score was 5 ± 2.8 points. A linear regression model showed no association between the amount of oily fish intake and EFS scores. However, an interaction model, with participants stratified according to their median age and fish intake in quintiles, showed a significant effect for both variables on the EFS score (ß coefficient = 0.104; 95% C.I.: 0.003–0.206; p = 0.044). At the lowest quintile of fish intake, younger individuals have lower EFS scores than their older counterparts. As the consumption of oily fish increases, mean EFS scores margins were found to be progressively reduced in subjects aged 60–69 years but were largely unaffected in persons aged ≥70 years. It appears that oily fish intake has a positive effect on the frailty status of younger subjects but is superseded by the effects of age in the older population.