Background Pre-frailty is an intermediate, potentially reversible state before the onset of frailty. Healthy dietary choices may prevent pre-frailty. Fish is included in most healthy diets, but little is known about the association between long-term habitual fish intake and pre-frailty. We aimed to elucidate the longitudinal association between the frequency of fish intake and pre-frailty in a cohort of older adults in Norway. Methods 4350 participants (52% women, ≥65 years at follow-up) were included in this prospective cohort study. Data was obtained from three waves of the population-based Tromsø Study in Norway; Tromsø4 (1994–1995), Tromsø6 (2007–2008) and Tromsø7 (follow-up, 2015–2016). Frailty status at follow-up was defined by a modified version of Fried’s phenotype. Fish intake was self-reported in the three surveys and assessed as three levels of frequency of intake: low (0–3 times/month), medium (1–3 times/week) and high (≥ 4 times/week). The fish–pre-frailty association was analysed using multivariable logistic regression in two ways; (1) frequency of intake of lean, fatty and total fish in Tromsø6 and pre-frailty at follow-up, and (2) patterns of total fish intake across the three surveys and pre-frailty at follow-up. Results At follow-up, 28% ( n = 1124) were pre-frail. Participants with a higher frequency of lean, fatty and total fish intake had 28% (odds ratio (OR) = 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.53, 0.97), 37% (OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.43, 0.91) and 31% (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.52, 0.91) lower odds of pre-frailty 8 years later compared with those with a low intake, respectively. A pattern of stable high fish intake over 21 years was associated with 41% (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.38, 0.91) lower odds of pre-frailty compared with a stable low intake. Conclusions A higher frequency of intake of lean, fatty and total fish, and a pattern of consistent frequent fish intake over time, were associated with lower odds of pre-frailty in older community-dwelling Norwegian adults. These results emphasise the important role of fish in a healthy diet and that a frequent fish intake should be promoted to facilitate healthy ageing. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-023-04081-z.
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Dina Moxness Konglevoll, Lene Frost Andersen, Laila Arnesdatter Hopstock et al.. Fish intake and pre-frailty in Norwegian older adults - a prospective cohort study: the Tromsø Study 1994–2016. BMC Geriatrics. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04081-z Dina Moxness Konglevoll, Lene Frost Andersen, Laila Arnesdatter Hopstock, Bjørn Heine Strand, Magne Thoresen, Torunn Holm Totland, Anette Hjartåker, Monica Hauger Carlsen
1grid.5510.10000 0004 1936 8921Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway 2grid.10919.300000000122595234Department of Health and Care Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway 3grid.417292.b0000 0004 0627 3659The Norwegian National Centre for Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway 4grid.55325.340000 0004 0389 8485Department of Geriatric Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway 5grid.418193.60000 0001 1541 4204Department of Physical Health and Ageing, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway 6grid.5510.10000 0004 1936 8921Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway 