Frailty in Older Adults with Obesity and the Effect of Lifestyle Interventions

Frailty is a condition of impaired homeostatic reserve increasing the vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. Effective strategies to treat obesity and frailty are extremely urgent due to their increasing prevalence among older adults and to the associated high morbidity and mortality risk. Diet-induced weight loss combined with both aerobic and resistance training significantly improves frailty and, cardiometabolic health, while reducing ectopic fat disposition associated with preservation of muscle and bone mass. The combined lifestyle intervention also improves glucometabolic control and age-relevant outcomes in older adults with type 2 diabetes. Importantly, these positive effects translate into the greatest improvement in quality of life. Diet-induced weight loss among older, frail adults with obesity should be prescribed in conjunction with aerobic and resistance exercise to maximize health benefits.