Poor muscle quality: A hidden and detrimental health condition in obesity

Abstract

Poor muscle quality (MQ) is a hidden health condition in obesity, commonly disregarded and underdiagnosed, associated with poor health-related outcomes. This narrative review provides an in-depth exploration of MQ in obesity, including definitions, available assessment methods and challenges, pathophysiology, association with health outcomes, and potential interventions. MQ is a broad term that can include imaging, histological, functional, or metabolic assessments, evaluating beyond muscle quantity. MQ assessment is highly heterogeneous and requires further standardization. Common definitions of MQ include 1) muscle-specific strength (or functional MQ), the ratio between muscle strength and muscle quantity, and 2) muscle composition (or morphological MQ), mainly evaluating muscle fat infiltration. An individual with obesity might still have normal or higher muscle quantity despite having poor MQ, and techniques for direct measurements are needed. However, the use of body composition and physical function assessments is still limited in clinical practice. Thus, more accessible techniques for assessing strength, muscle mass, and composition should be further explored. Obesity leads to adipocyte dysfunction, generating a low-grade chronic inflammatory state, which leads to mitochondrial dysfunction. Adipocyte and mitochondrial dysfunction result in metabolic dysfunction manifesting clinically as insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and fat infiltration into organs such as muscle, which in excess is termed myosteatosis. Myosteatosis decreases muscle cell function and insulin sensitivity, creating a vicious cycle of inflammation and metabolic derangements. Myosteatosis increases the risk of poor muscle function, systemic metabolic complications, and mortality, presenting prognostic potential. Interventions shown to improve MQ include nutrition, physical activity/exercise, pharmacology, and metabolic and bariatric surgery.

Keywords: Fat infiltration; Muscle mass; Muscle quality; Muscle strength; Myosteatosis; Obesity.