Disentangling the relationship between biological age and frailty in community-dwelling older Mexican adults




Carlos A. Fermín-Martínez, División de Investigación, Instituto Nacional de Geriatría, Ciudad de México, México; Plan de Estudios Combinados en Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
Daniel Ramírez-García, División de Investigación, Instituto Nacional de Geriatría, Ciudad de México, México.; Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
Neftali E. Antonio-Villa, Departamento de Endrocrinología, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Ciudad de México, México
Miriam T. López-Teros, Dirección de Nutrición, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Ciudad de México, México
Jacqueline A. Seiglie, Diabetes Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, Estados Unidos; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, Estados Unidos
Roberto C. Castrejón-Pérez, División de Investigación, Instituto Nacional de Geriatría, Ciudad de México, México
Carmen García-Peña, Dirección General, Instituto Nacional de Geriatría, Ciudad de México, México
Luis M. F. Gutiérrez-Robledo, Departamento de Epidemiología Clínica, Instituto Nacional de Geriatría, Ciudad de México, México
Omar Y. Bello-Chavolla, División de Investigación, Instituto Nacional de Geriatría, Ciudad de México, México


Background: Older adults have highly heterogeneous aging rates. Objective: To explore the association of biological age (BA) and accelerated aging with frailty in community-dwelling older adults. Material and methods: We assessed 735 community- dwelling older adults from the Coyocan Cohort. BA was measured using AnthropoAge, accelerated aging with Anthropo- AgeAccel, and frailty using Fried’s phenotype and the frailty index. We explored the association of BA and accelerated aging (AnthropoAgeAccel ≥ 0) with frailty at baseline and characterized the body composition and physical function phenotype of accelerated aging in non-frail/frail participants. We also explored accelerated aging as a risk factor for frailty progression after 3-years of follow-up. Results: Older adults with accelerated aging have higher frailty prevalence and indices, lower handgrip strength and gait speed. AnthropoAgeAccel was associated with higher frailty indices (β = 0.0053, 95 % CI = 0.0027-0.0079), and increased odds of frailty at baseline (OR = 1.16, 95 % CI = 1.09-1.25). We observed sex-based differences in body composition and physical function linked to accelerated aging in non-frail participants; however, these differences were absent in pre-frail/frail participants. Accelerated aging at baseline was associated with higher risk of frailty progression over time (OR = 1.74, 95 % CI = 1.11-2.75). Conclusions: Despite being intertwined, biological accelerated aging is largely independent of frailty in community-dwelling older adults.



Keywords: Older adults. Biological age. Frailty. Frailty index. Mexico.




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