TOPLINE

Older adults with impaired appetite or high levels of inflammatory markers had an increased risk for persistent lower extremity limitation. Appetite was associated with an increased risk for loss of mobility even after accounting for inflammatory markers.

METHODOLOGY

• In a prospective study, researchers analyzed data from a cohort to assess whether poor appetite and inflammation were associated with later loss of mobility in older adults.
• They included 3073 adults aged 70-79 years who were recruited at centers in Pittsburgh and Tennessee. Baseline exams were conducted from 1997 to 1998, and none had trouble walking or climbing stairs at enrollment.
• Participants rated their appetite compared with a year earlier, and the researchers classified moderate, poor, or very poor appetite as impaired. Inflammation was measured using blood levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), TNF-alpha, and C-reactive protein.
• The researchers assessed the occurrence of persistent lower extremity limitation, defined as difficulty walking a quarter mile or climbing 10 steps without resting, reported at two consecutive visits 6 months apart.
• The mean duration of follow-up was 5.7 years.

TAKEAWAY

• Overall, 12.6% of participants had impaired appetite. They were more often women and Black individuals and had higher levels of inflammatory markers than those with good appetite.
• Participants with impaired appetite had a 44% higher risk of developing persistent lower extremity limitation after adjusting for relevant factors (P < .001).
• Elevated levels of IL-6, TNF-alpha, and C-reactive protein were each independently associated with an increased risk for persistent lower extremity limitation (P < .05 for all); the appetite association remained after accounting for inflammatory markers.
• Participants with impaired appetite and elevated levels of all three inflammatory markers lost mobility fastest. Limitations in mobility were reported in half of the participants by about 12 months and in nearly all by 32 months.

IN PRACTICE

"The timing of incidence curves suggests appetite impairment could signal a window for early assessment before mobility issues become fixed. Targeting inflammation could lead to new treatments to boost appetite and function in older adults," the researchers wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by Germine Soliman of UConn Center on Aging in Farmington, Connecticut. It was published online on October 12 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

LIMITATIONS

Participants reported their appetite only once through a single question. Blood tests for inflammatory markers were conducted only at baseline. The study was observational; thus, researchers could not establish cause-effect relationships.

DISCLOSURES

The study received support from UConn Older Americans Independence Center (OIAC), Pittsburgh OIAC, and Health ABC (source cohort study). The research received support in part from the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging (NIA). The Health ABC study received support from NIA contracts. The authors did not declare any conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.