Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Nov 19;36(1):222.
doi: 10.1007/s40520-024-02866-9.

Can simple measures from clinical practice serve as a proxy for sarcopenic obesity and identify mortality risk?

Valdete Regina Guandalini  1   2 , Patrícia Silva Tofani  2   3 , Sara Souza Lima  2 , Letícia Coelho Silveira  4 , Natália Cochar-Soares  2 , Thais Barros Pereira da Silva  2 , Thales Batista de Souza  2 , Mariane Marques Luiz  2 , Paula Camila Ramírez  5 , Roberta de Oliveira Máximo  2 , Andrew Steptoe  6 , Cesar de Oliveira  6 , Tiago da Silva Alexandre  7   8   9   10
Affiliations

Can simple measures from clinical practice serve as a proxy for sarcopenic obesity and identify mortality risk?

Valdete Regina Guandalini et al. Aging Clin Exp Res. .

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenic obesity is a condition where loss of muscle mass occurs alongside fat gain, and it is considered a risk factor for mortality. However, the use of various definitions for this condition has led to conflicting results.

Aim: To investigate whether the coexistence of low muscle mass and abdominal obesity, defined using two simple measures employed in clinical practice, is a risk factor for mortality in individuals aged 50 or older.

Methods: A longitudinal study with a 14-year follow-up was conducted involving 5,440 participants of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Abdominal obesity and low muscle mass were respectively defined based on high waist circumference and low skeletal muscle mass index (SMMI) determined by an equation. The sample was divided into four groups: non-low muscle mass/non-abdominal obesity (NLMM/NAO), non-low muscle mass/abdominal obesity (NLMM/AO), low muscle mass/non-abdominal obesity (LMM/NAO), and low muscle mass/abdominal obesity (LMM/AO). Cox regression models were used to estimate the mortality risk as a function of muscle mass and abdominal obesity status.

Results: LMM/AO increased the risk of death by 83% (HR:1.83; 95%CI: 1.35-2.66) compared to those in the NLMM/NAO group. AO alone was not associated with a greater risk of mortality (HR:1.09; 95%CI: 0.93-1.27), whereas LMM alone increased the risk by 40% (HR:1.40; 95%CI:1.18-1.66).

Conclusions: Identifying LMM/AO in individuals aged 50 or older can be crucial for predicting the risk of mortality. Simple and easily applicable measures can serve as a proxy for sarcopenic obesity and aid in implementing the necessary interventions.

Keywords: Mortality; Muscle mass; Older adults; Sarcopenia; Visceral obesity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations Ethical approval and informed consent The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing received approval from the National Research Ethics Service [London Multicentre Research Ethics Committee (MREC/01/2/91)]. All participants signed a statement of informed consent. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Survival analysis of low muscle mass/abdominal obesity status based on the final Cox proporcional hazards model. NLMM/NAO: non-low muscle mass/non-abdominal obesity; NLMM/AO: non-low muscle mass/abdominal obesity; LMM/NAO: low muscle mass/non-abdominal obesity; LMM/AO low muscle mass/abdominal obesity
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Zamboni M, Mazzali G, Brunelli A, Saatchi T, Urbani S, Giani A et al (2022) The Role of Crosstalk between Adipose Cells and Myocytes in the Pathogenesis of Sarcopenic Obesity in the Elderly. Vol. 11, Cells. MDPI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Axelrod CL, Dantas WS, Kirwan JP (2023) Sarcopenic obesity: emerging mechanisms and therapeutic potential. Metabolism 146:155639 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Donini LM, Busetto L, Bischoff SC, Cederholm T, Ballesteros-Pomar MD, Batsis JA et al (2022) Definition and diagnostic criteria for sarcopenic obesity: ESPEN and EASO Consensus Statement. Obes Facts 15(3):321–335 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Prado CM, Batsis JA, Donini LM, Gonzalez MC, Siervo M (2024) Sarcopenic obesity in older adults: a clinical overview. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, vol 20. Nature Research, pp 261–277 - PubMed
    1. Chianca V, Albano D, Messina C, Gitto S, Ruffo G, Guarino S et al (2022) Sarcopenia: imaging assessment and clinical application. Abdom Radiol 47(9):3205–3216 - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources