The prevalence rate is as high as 70%!

At present, the global population is increasingly aging.

Recently, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a well-known clinical medical journal in the United States, published an important analysis paper, providing the latest insights into pain management in the elderly population

The current study, based on data from two cohorts of subjects in Spain, confirms that a Mediterranean lifestyle (combining good eating habits, physical activity/rest/social habits based on a Mediterranean dietary pattern) is associated with improved pain symptoms in the elderly population

Screenshot source: Mayo Clinic Proceedings

According to reports, the prevalence of pain in people aged 50 to 65 is about 20% to 80%, that of people aged 65 to 85 is about 20% to 70%, and that of people over 85 is about 25% to 60%

In addition, modifiable risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, sleep, and diet can help prevent and manage pain

It is worth mentioning that the current research team has found that adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern is independently associated with the improvement of pain symptoms in the elderly, indicating that the food components in this dietary pattern may have potential synergistic anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects

Mediterranean diet: Plant-based foods, including whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc.

The current study builds on previous findings to assess the impact of a Mediterranean lifestyle on pain in an older population, as well as pain characteristics over time

It should be pointed out that the Mediterranean lifestyle includes not only the Mediterranean diet pattern, but also the corresponding eating habits and living habits
.

The current study is based on scores on 27 items of the Mediterranean lifestyle (food intake: 0-15; eating habits: 0-6; physical activity/rest/social habits: 0-6, on a scale of 0-27 ) to calculate subjects' adherence to the Mediterranean lifestyle
.

▲ Mediterranean lifestyle compliance assessment items and specific criteria, the current study has improved the previous criteria, excluding the 16th assessment item (Image source: Reference [1])

Specifically, the 27 assessment items covered by the Mediterranean Lifestyle include:

• Food intake: 15 items including desserts (≤2 servings/week), red meat (<2 servings/week), processed meat (≤1 serving/week), eggs (2-4 servings/week), beans (≥2 servings/week), white meat (2 servings/week), fish/seafood (≥2 servings/week), potatoes (≤3 servings/week), low-fat dairy products (2 servings/day), nuts/ Olives (1-2 servings/day), herbs/spices/garnishes (≥1 servings/day), fruits (3-6 servings/day), vegetables (≥2 servings/day), olive oil (≥3 servings/day) day), cereals (3-6 servings/day);

• Dietary habits: including 6 items, involving alcohol (1-2 servings/day), limiting salt addition, whole grains (dietary fiber>25g/day), snacks (≤2 servings/week), limiting intake between meals, Limit sugar-sweetened beverages;

• Physical activity/rest/social habits: including 6 items, involving physical activity (>150 minutes/week or 30 minutes/day), nap/nap, nighttime sleep duration (6-8 hours/day), TV watching (<1 hour /day), socializing with friends (≥2 hours/weekend), group sports (≥2 hours/week)
  .
  
  

The researchers analyzed the data of 864 and 862 community residents (65 years+) in two Spanish cohort studies, Seniors-ENRICA-1 and Seniors-ENRICA-2 (median follow-up, 2.
8 and 2.
4 years, respectively).

.

In addition, subjects were assessed for the frequency, severity, and number of pain sites at baseline and at follow-up based on pain scales, and changes in subjects' pain symptoms over time were calculated
.

The results of the analysis of the pooled cohort show:

After a median follow-up of 2.
6 years, 697 of the 1726 subjects had worsening pain symptoms, 734 had improved pain symptoms, and 295 had no change in pain symptoms
.

Subjects' adherence to the Mediterranean lifestyle at baseline was associated with improvement in overall pain during follow-up
.

Furthermore, the higher the subjects' Mediterranean Lifestyle Score (as judged by the MEDLIFE index), the higher the likelihood of improvement in the frequency, severity, and number of pain sites
.

The relative risk ratio (RRR) for improvement and worsening of overall pain symptoms was 1.
85 (95% CI: 1.
28-2.
67) in the group of subjects with the highest adherence to the Mediterranean lifestyle compared with the group with the lowest adherence.
P-trend < 0.
001)
.

In addition, subject compliance was also associated with frequency of pain episodes (RRR=1.
98; 95%CI: 1.
31-3.
01; P-trend=0.
001), pain severity (RRR=2.
00; 95%CI: 1.
33-3.
00; P -trend=0.
001) and improvement in the number of pain sites (RRR=1.
68; 95% CI: 1.
13-2.
50; P-trend=0.
004)
.

Further analysis suggested that among the three dimensions of Mediterranean lifestyle compliance assessment (food intake, eating habits, physical activity/rest/social habits), the two dimensions of food intake, physical activity/rest/social habits Indicators were independently associated with improvement in subjects' pain symptoms during follow-up
.

Overall, the results of the current study suggest that a Mediterranean lifestyle is associated with improved pain symptoms in the elderly population
.

In other words, the Mediterranean lifestyle has the potential to improve pain symptoms and reduce pain-related outcomes (eg, disability, decreased activity, depression, sleep disturbance, withdrawal, etc.
)
.

The researchers emphasized that more exploratory studies should be conducted in the future to evaluate the efficacy of a comprehensive lifestyle approach for pain management in the elderly population
.

In addition, there may be potential synergistic mechanisms between lifestyle and behavior, so combining the two as an intervention may provide higher benefits than lifestyle intervention alone
.