To investigate the prevalence of intrinsic capacity decline among older adults in China and to explore the associated factors,with a specific focus on the impact of diet on their intrinsic capacity.

Based on national data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey(CLHLS),Logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the effects of food variety and dietary diversity on the intrinsic capacity of older adults.Confounding factors were controlled for in the model construction.

A total of 3 338 older adults aged 65 years and above were included in the study.The detection rate of intrinsic capacity decline among Chinese the elderly was 67.2%.Demographic characteristics(age,living arrangement,marital status,family income,educational level,medical insurance type),lifestyle factors(smoking and drinking),and health-related indicators(body mass index,number of comorbidities,and number of oral medications taken) were significantly associated with the intrinsic capacity of older adults(all P<0.05).After adjusting for confounding factors,Logistic regression analysis revealed that fish,garlic,nuts and dietary diversity were significantly correlated with the risk of intrinsic capacity decline in the elderly(all P<0.05).

Increased frequency of fish,garlic,nuts consumption and high dietary diversity could effectively reduce the risk of intrinsic capacity decline in the elderly.