Research
Mixed
In older adults, both low BMI (<20) and very high BMI (≥35) are associated with increased frailty, forming a U-shaped relationship.
For older adults, maintaining a healthy weight range (BMI 20-29.9) is associated with the lowest risk of frailty. Both being underweight and very overweight increase this risk. Focus on balanced nutrition and physical activity to maintain muscle mass and healthy body composition.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
the association between BMI and frailty showed a U-shaped curve. this relationship was consistent across different frailty measures.
Why this rating
Large, nationally representative cross-sectional study with robust adjustment for confounders.
Source
Frailty, Body Mass Index, and Abdominal Obesity in Older People
Ruth E. Hubbard et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2009
DOI 10.1093/gerona/glp186
cross_sectional · n=3055Cited 469×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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