Frailty-Preventing Effect of an Intervention Program Using a Novel Complete Nutritional “COMB-FP Meal”: A Pilot Randomized Control Trial

Abstract

Frailty is a huge concern for the aging population, and dietary nutrition is considered a key factor in the prevention of aging. To solve the problem of frailty in the aging population, we developed a novel dietary intervention program using a novel COMpletely Balanced for Frailty Prevention (COMB-FP) meal, based on the Dietary Reference Intake for Japanese; in addition, we conducted a pilot randomized control trial comparing an exercise program only (control group) with exercise plus the COMB-FP meal program (test group). We included 110 male and female healthy volunteers with pre-frailty or frailty; the trial lasted for 12 weeks. Two daily meals were replaced with the COMB-FP meals during the trial in the test group. Walking speed and cognitive function were significantly improved in the test group compared with the control group. We observed a similar pattern in other frailty-related outcomes, such as occupancy of the microbiome, World Health Organization well-being index (WHO-5), and oxidative stress. Our study might indicate the importance of a well-balanced intake of nutrients for frailty prevention.

The Effect of Nutrients on Subjective Accomplishment at Work: Results from a Health Survey and a Single-Arm Dietary Intervention Study

“…Estimated nutrient intake was calculated separately for males and females, and the higher of the nutrients common to both sexes was used in the design of the test meals. In sum, 16 of the 17 ingredients employed in our test meal, excluding cholesterol, were among the 33 ingredients defined in the COMB meal, which has been suggested to be effective in improving presenteeism [12]. However, there were no reports of direct effects of nutrients alone on improving labor productivity, and the study was also consistent in that the sufficiency of multiple nutrients had an effect.…”

“…By comparing nutrient intake of those who complain of mild decreases in vitality, fatigue, irritability, and somatic issues with those who do not, 17 nutrients associated with these complaints and improvement in presenteeism have been identified [11]. It has been reported that presenteeism can be improved by a 4-week dietary intervention program in which two meals a day are replaced with a COMB meal [12]. However, the nutrients defined in the COMB meal, which aims to provide a completely balanced diet, are a combination of 33 nutrients such as vitamins and minerals that are generally considered important for maintaining good health and are not specifically selected to improve presenteeism.…”

Diet quality from mid to late life and its association with physical frailty in late life in a cohort of Chinese adults

“…A review of evidence from intervention studies confirmed the view that physical frailty is a reversible condition through lifestyle changes [4]. However, the majority of dietary interventions to reverse or delay onset or progression of physical frailty were conducted in frail and pre-frail community-dwelling older adults, those in hospital or in long term institutional care, or those with chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes [4][5][6][7][8][9]. Hence, it is crucial to demonstrate associations of overall dietary patterns and physical frailty in community-dwelling adults who are not yet frail or pre-frail, in order to establish evidence for frailty prevention later in life in the general population.…”