this study aimed to investigate the association between vegetarian diet and risk of frailty in a nationwide representative cohort of Chinese community-dwelling older adults (≥ 65 years old).
During a median follow-up of 3.0 (IQR: 1.83–5.33) years, vegetarians showed a higher risk of incident frailty (HR [95% CI]: 1.13 [1.07, 1.20]) compared to omnivores. Similar patterns were observed across subgroups of vegetarian diet, including pesco-vegetarians (HR [95% CI]: 1.15 [1.05, 1.26]), ovo-lacto-vegetarians (HR [95% CI]: 1.11 [1.02, 1.20]), and vegans (HR [95% CI]: 1.12 [1.01, 1.25]). In terms of diet trajectory, maintaining vegetarian diets (HR [95% CI]: 1.19 [1.03, 1.38]), transition from the omnivorous diet to vegetarian diets (HR [95% CI]: 1.16 [1.04, 1.30]), and transition from vegetarian diets to the omnivorous diet (HR [95% CI]: 1.14 [1.02, 1.27]) were all associated with higher risks of frailty, compared with maintaining an omnivorous diet.
In this prospective study, vegetarian diets were observed to be associated with higher frailty risk, compared to the omnivorous diet in Chinese older adults. Future research is needed to confirm our observations.
Full Paper: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04232-6
I wonder if Chinese researchers will be the counterweight to the torrent of plant-based dogma that is being produced. It makes sense since Sanitarium and the other business interests that are pushing it haven't much power in China, at all. I only wish Japan were equally neutral, but unfortunately American business interests have great sway over here.
From the paper:
Thank you for the informative write up.
one of the benefits of being globally connected, we eventually get different biases!
Ellen White can only reach so far, and eventually some government is going to actually want to fix their metabolic health crisis rather then paying for it... some smaller country with a aging population... might be japan.