Integrating exercise and nutrition to combat frailty: a systematic review of multidomain interventions in aging populations
Abstract
Background: Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome associated with increased disability, hospitalization, and mortality. Exercise, nutritional supplementation (including herbal supplements such as ginseng), and multidomain interventions have been investigated as strategies to improve frailty-related outcomes in older adults.
Objective: To summarize randomized controlled trial evidence on the effects of exercise, nutritional, and multidomain interventions on frailty, muscle strength, and physical performance in older adults.
Methods: A narrative systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving frail or pre-frail older adults was conducted. Interventions included exercise training, nutritional supplementation (e.g., protein, amino acids, vitamin D, and ginseng-containing nutritional strategies), and combined multidomain strategies. Outcomes included frailty status, gait speed, muscle strength, body composition, cognition, and quality of life.
Results: Exercise-based interventions consistently improved muscle strength, gait speed, and frailty status. Nutritional supplementation alone showed modest and inconsistent benefits, mainly in undernourished or sarcopenic populations. Combined exercise and nutrition interventions generally produced greater improvements in muscle mass and strength than single interventions alone. Multidomain interventions incorporating exercise, nutrition, and cognitive training demonstrated additional benefits in physical and cognitive…
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