| Title: | Macronutrient content and quality, and risk of multimorbidity in the UK Biobank |
| Journal: | The Journals of Gerontology Series A |
| Published: | 10 Dec 2025 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41369132/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glaf267 |
Publication 17251
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity is a major determinant of lifespan in older adults. We aimed to examine the association between overall, healthy and unhealthy low-carbohydrate diets (LCD) and low-fat diets (LFD) with the incidence of multimorbidity.</p>
METHODS: 112 710 individuals (40-70 years) from the UK Biobank were included. Food consumption was assessed using up to five 24-h dietary recalls. LCD and LFD scores were calculated based on macronutrient quality. We calculated three versions of each score-overall, healthy and unhealthy. Multimorbidity was defined as the coexistence of ≥2 of nine chronic diseases, including cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia, Parkinson's disease, stroke, depression, osteoarthritis, diabetes, and coronary heart disease.</p>
RESULTS: There were 8387 individuals with multimorbidity during a median follow-up of 10.7 years. Overall, LCD and LFD scores were not associated with higher multimorbidity risk. There was a higher multimorbidity risk for individuals in the highest quintile (Q5) of unhealthy LCD vs. lowest quintile (Q1) [fully adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 1.07, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.15, p-trend = 0.16] overall as well as among non-tobacco smokers [1.11 (1.00, 1.23), p-trend = 0.09]. The unhealthy LFD score was associated with multimorbidity overall [1.07 (1.00, 1.14), p-trend = 0.07] and never-smokers [1.12 (1.01, 1.24); p-trend = 0.01]. Healthy score results were less consistent. The plant protein component had an inverse association with incident multimorbidity risk, whereas the low-quality-fat and animal protein components were each associated with a higher risk of multimorbidity.</p>
CONCLUSION: Diet scores defined only by the total amount of carbohydrates or fat were not associated with risk of multimorbidity. Unhealthy diet scores, including low-quality macronutrients and animal protein, were associated with increased risk of multimorbidity.</p>
15 Keywords
- Adult
- Aged
- Biological Specimen Banks
- Chronic Disease
- Diet, Carbohydrate-Restricted
- Diet, Fat-Restricted
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Multimorbidity
- Nutrients
- Risk Factors
- UK Biobank
- United Kingdom
5 Authors
- Aitana Vázquez-Fernández
- Humberto Yévenes-Briones
- Ana Baylin
- Francisco F Caballero
- Esther Lopez-Garcia
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 69337 | Multimorbidity patterns and impact of lifestyles in older adults: a longitudinal approach to address the prospective association between lifestyles and development of multimorbidity |
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