Older adults with diabetes exhibit heightened risks of depression and frailty, with chronic inflammation proposed as a potential mechanism. This study investigates the combined association of depressive symptoms and pro-inflammatory diets with frailty. This study utilized data from older adults with diabetes collected during the 2007–2018 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Dietary inflammatory potential was evaluated using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII). Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Participants were classified into six mutually exclusive groups: No depressive symptoms DII OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.02–1.23). Compared with reference group (No depressive symptoms & Low-DII), participants with Moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms & high DII exhibited the highest frailty risk (adjusted OR = 13.82, 95% CI = 7.67–24.92). The combined depressive symptoms-DII association with frailty was stronger in subgroups of males, older adults < 70, and non-Hispanic Whites. Anti-inflammatory nutritional patterns and psychological well-being may jointly associate with lower frailty risk, supporting multidimensional care models to alleviate health burdens. Not applicable.
Li et al. (Tue,) studied this question.