An analysis of research shows that the older people follow food systems inspired by the systems of the Mediterranean countries, the less likely they are to weaken over time.
The team conducting the study analyzed data on nearly 6,000 older people who participated in four studies, three of which were conducted in Mediterranean countries and one in Asia.
"Growing numbers of people live in the world until the 1980s and beyond, and there's a lot of interest in how people are healthy and independent with age," lead researcher Kate Walsers told Reuters Health in an e-mail.
"Some people who have accumulated health problems with aging may suffer from debilitation, which makes them feel symptoms such as lack of energy, muscle weakness, decreased appetite, weight loss and the general feeling that they are slower and have difficulty recovering after the disease," said Walters, a researcher at London University College.
"This is linked to the chances of hospital admission or reliance on the care of others," she said. "We have studied ways to prevent this, including diet and exercise," she said.
"There is a lot of research on the types of exercise (which she says is helpful to you) but there is much less research about the role of the diet and its different types, such as the Mediterranean diet," she said.
The Mediterranean diet is based on traditional food patterns in Greece and southern Italy, which include vegetarian-based foods such as vegetables, legumes, nuts, as well as fish and seafood, Walters and her colleagues wrote in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society. The main source of fat in this system is olive oil instead of animal fat.
The study re-analyzed data from studies previously published in China, France, Italy and Spain. These studies recorded the participants' diets according to their adherence to the principles of the Mediterranean food systems.
Walters said participants in the studies were in their 70s and 80s on average, suggesting that older people's adherence to these diets may be beneficial in maintaining health and self-reliance.
But Michael Bogajski of the Department of Medicine (Aging) of the New York-based Montefiore Health System, who did not participate in the study, said other factors may be the cause of the differences in risk of attenuation, Food rather than the system itself.
"For example, olive oil, fish, nuts, fruits and fresh vegetables can be expensive, and people who can afford to buy these foods may also be able to get better health care," he said.
"They may also have higher education or health knowledge, and are therefore more likely to eat more and exercise, which may reduce their risk of becoming frail."
But he added that the findings were "interesting" and that there was strong evidence to support Mediterranean food systems to avoid cardiovascular disease.