ArticleJournal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle2026
Associations Between Growth Differentiating Factor-15 and Frailty in Older Adults From the MAPT Study.
Article in Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Circulating Level of Growth-Differentiation Factor 15 and Mortality of Patients With Acute Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis.Clinical cardiology · 2026Pooled it
- Associations Between Growth Differentiating Factor-15 and Frailty in Older Adults From the MAPT Study.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundFrailty is a prevalent syndrome in older adults and is associated with increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), a cytokine involved in mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation, has been proposed as a potential biomarker for age-related conditions. Evidence on the association between GDF-15 and frailty in older adults is limited. This study explores the relationship between plasma GDF-15 levels and frailty onset in community-dwelling older adults.
methodsA secondary analysis was performed on 1096 participants (mean age = 75.2 ± 4.5 years; 64.5% women) from the Multidomain Alzheimer Prevention Trial (MAPT). Plasma GDF-15 levels were measured at year 1. Frailty was assessed using the Fried phenotype. Logistic regression was used to examine cross-sectional associations between GDF-15 and frailty, while mixed effects logistic regression or Cox proportional hazards models assessed longitudinal associations over a 4-year follow-up.
resultsHigher plasma GDF-15 levels (both as continuous and categorical) were cross-sectionally associated with frailty (high vs. low GDF-15: OR = 3.56, 95% CI = 1.58-8.03). Longitudinally, very high GDF-15 levels predicted an increased risk of incident frailty (HR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.03-2.78).
conclusionsElevated plasma GDF-15 levels were associated with frailty in older adults, suggesting its potential as a biomarker for increased vulnerability and an indicator of increased risk over time. Our results support a pleiotropic role of GDF-15, with low physiological levels not contributing to frailty development.
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Registered trials
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