Background: In the context of population aging, activities of daily living (ADL) disability has brought great challenges to the health of the elderly. The relationship between plant-based dietary patterns and the health of the elderly has been widely discussed. However, few studies have explored the correlation between plant-based dietary patterns and ADL disability in older adults.
Methods: We included 2004 participants from the Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey (CLHLS). The Simplified Food Frequency Questionnaire was used to measure Plant-Based Diet Index (PDI), healthy Plant-Based Diet Index (hPDI), and unhealthy Plant-Based Diet Index (uPDI). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess associations between plant-based dietary patterns and ADL disability in older adults and to explore age differences in these associations.
Results: uPDI and hPDI showed nonlinear associations with ADL disability. Following covariate adjustments, older adults in the highest tertile of the hPDI have a lower risk of ADL disability than those in the lowest tertile (HR = 0.61). Older adults in the highest tertile of the uPDI have a higher risk of ADL disability than those in the lowest tertile (HR = 1.33). Subgroup analyses showed that hPDI was more protective against ADL disability in those under 80 years of age, whereas uPDI was only significantly associated with an increased risk of ADL disability in those under 80 years of age.
Conclusions: Increasing the intake of healthy plant-based diets and reducing the intake of unhealthy plant-based and animal-based diets can help prevent and improve ADL disability in the elderly.
Keywords: Activities of Daily Living Disability; Cox proportional hazards model; cohort study; older adults; plant-based dietary patterns.