How Apples and Blackberries Can Prevent Frailty In Older Adults

Could enjoying a crunchy apple or a handful of blackberries help to ward off frailty? A study reveals that plant-based foods packed with dietary compounds known as flavonols, such as apples and blackberries, could potentially be associated with a decreased risk of developing frailty. Particularly, the flavonoid quercetin found in these fruits was deemed most crucial for frailty prevention.

Imagine this: for each 10 mg increase in your daily flavonol intake—roughly one medium-sized apple—the odds of frailty might decrease by 20 percent. That’s a delicious way to promote strength and vitality!

Frailty, typically marked by reduced muscle strength and fatigue, affects about 10 percent of those aged over 65, a number that shoots up to 25-50 percent for people aged 85 and above. While existing dietary guidelines for frailty prevention often revolve around protein, the researchers highlight the potential benefits of other foods.

The study authors, Shivani Sahni and Courtney Millar, from Harvard Medical School and the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Ageing Research, affirm: “This data suggests that there may be particular subclasses of flavonoids that have the most potential as a dietary strategy for frailty prevention.”

So, let’s take a leaf out of the book of old wisdom. Maybe an apple a day could indeed keep frailty at bay!

Related Content:

• Healthy Plant-Based Nutrition Tips for Aging Adults
• Managing Lupus with a Plant-Based Diet
• Plant Based Diet Reduces Risk of Cognitive Decline, Study Finds
• Plant Based Diet Improves Health and Longevity, Research Finds
• City of Edinburgh Becomes First Capital in Europe to Endorse Plant Based Treaty

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!