Health outcomes of sarcopenia: a consensus report by the outcome working group of the Global Leadership Initiative in Sarcopenia (GLIS)

Charlotte Beaudart¹, Julian Alcazar^{2

3

4}, Ivan Aprahamian⁵, John A Batsis⁶, Yosuke Yamada^{7

8}, Carla M Prado⁹, Jean-Yves Reginster¹⁰, Dolores Sanchez-Rodriguez^{11

12

13}, Wee Shiong Lim^{14

15}, Marc Sim^{16

17}, Stephan von Haehling^{18

19}, Jean Woo^#²⁰, Gustavo Duque^#^{21

22}; Global Leadership Initiative in Sarcopenia (GLIS) group

Affiliations

¹ Public Health Aging Research & Epidemiology (PHARE) Group, Research Unit in Clinical, Pharmacology and Toxicology (URPC), Faculty of Medicine, NAmur Research Institute for LIfe Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium. charlotte.beaudart@unamur.be.
² GENUD Toledo Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain.
³ Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
⁴ Grupo Mixto de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Exitoso UCLM-SESCAM, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha-Servicio de Salud de Castilla-La Mancha, IDISCAM, Toledo, Spain.
⁵ Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Jundiaí Medical School, Jundiaí, Brazil.
⁶ Division of Geriatric Medicine, School of Medicine, and the Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
⁷ Department of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan.
⁸ Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan.
⁹ Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
¹⁰ Chair for Biomarkers of Chronic Diseases, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
¹¹ Rehabilitation Research Group, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
¹² Geriatrics Department, Brugmann University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1020, Brussels, Belgium.
¹³ Geriatrics Department, Hospital Del Mar, Hospital de L'Esperança, Centre Fòrum, Parc de Salut Mar, 08029, Barcelona, Spain.
¹⁴ Institute of Geriatrics and Active Ageing, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
¹⁵ Department of Geriatric Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
¹⁶ School of Medical and Health Sciences, Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia.
¹⁷ Medical School, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
¹⁸ Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University of Göttingen Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany.
¹⁹ German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Lower Saxony, Göttingen, Germany.
²⁰ Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
²¹ Muscle & Geroscience Group, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, BoneMontreal, QC, Canada.
²² Dr. Joseph Kaufmann Chair in Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 40120052
PMCID: PMC11929733
DOI: 10.1007/s40520-025-02995-9

Review

Health outcomes of sarcopenia: a consensus report by the outcome working group of the Global Leadership Initiative in Sarcopenia (GLIS)

Charlotte Beaudart et al. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2025.

. 2025 Mar 22;37(1):100.

doi: 10.1007/s40520-025-02995-9.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Public Health Aging Research & Epidemiology (PHARE) Group, Research Unit in Clinical, Pharmacology and Toxicology (URPC), Faculty of Medicine, NAmur Research Institute for LIfe Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium. charlotte.beaudart@unamur.be.
² GENUD Toledo Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain.
³ Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
⁴ Grupo Mixto de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Exitoso UCLM-SESCAM, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha-Servicio de Salud de Castilla-La Mancha, IDISCAM, Toledo, Spain.
⁵ Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Jundiaí Medical School, Jundiaí, Brazil.
⁶ Division of Geriatric Medicine, School of Medicine, and the Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
⁷ Department of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan.
⁸ Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan.
⁹ Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
¹⁰ Chair for Biomarkers of Chronic Diseases, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
¹¹ Rehabilitation Research Group, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
¹² Geriatrics Department, Brugmann University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1020, Brussels, Belgium.
¹³ Geriatrics Department, Hospital Del Mar, Hospital de L'Esperança, Centre Fòrum, Parc de Salut Mar, 08029, Barcelona, Spain.
¹⁴ Institute of Geriatrics and Active Ageing, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
¹⁵ Department of Geriatric Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
¹⁶ School of Medical and Health Sciences, Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia.
¹⁷ Medical School, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
¹⁸ Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University of Göttingen Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany.
¹⁹ German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Lower Saxony, Göttingen, Germany.
²⁰ Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
²¹ Muscle & Geroscience Group, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, BoneMontreal, QC, Canada.
²² Dr. Joseph Kaufmann Chair in Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 40120052
PMCID: PMC11929733
DOI: 10.1007/s40520-025-02995-9

Abstract

The Global Leadership Initiative in Sarcopenia (GLIS) aims to standardize the definition and diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia into one unifying, common classification. Among other actions to achieve this objective, the GLIS has organized three different working groups (WGs), with the WG on outcomes of sarcopenia focusing on reporting its health outcomes to be measured in clinical practice once a diagnosis has been established. This includes sarcopenia definitions that better predict health outcomes, the preferred tools for measuring these outcomes, and the cutoffs defining normal and abnormal values. The present article synthesizes discussions and conclusions from this WG, composed of 13 key opinion leaders from different continents worldwide. Results rely on systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and relevant cohort studies in the field. With a high level of evidence, sarcopenia is significantly associated with a reduced quality of life, a higher risk of falls and fractures and a higher risk of mortality. Sarcopenia has been moderately associated with a higher risk of reduced instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). However, the GLIS WG found only inconclusive level of evidence to support associations between sarcopenia and higher risks of hospitalization, nursing home admission, mobility impairments, and reduced basic activities of daily living (ADL). This limitation underscores the scarcity of longitudinal studies, highlighting a barrier to understanding its progression and implications over time.

Keywords: ADL; Falls; Fractures; GLIS; Hospitalization; IADL; Mobility; Mortality; Muscle mass; Muscle strength; Nursing home admission; Outcomes; Physical performance; Quality of life; Sarcopenia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: C.B. and J-Y.R. are stakeholders of SARQOL SRL, a spin-off of the University of Belgium, in charge of the interests of SarQoL, a specific health-related quality of life questionnaire for sarcopenia. However, they have never received any financial compensation for their role. J.A.B. is a consultant for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and MEDacorp and has equity in SynchroHealth LLC. G.D. is a consultant for TSI Pharmaceuticals. CMP has previously received honoraria and/or paid consultancy from Abbott Nutrition, Nutricia, Nestlé Health Science, Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, and AMRA Medical. Other authors do not declare any conflicts of interest.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
Strength of evidence for direct association found between sarcopenia across different outcome measures. A heatmap representation of evidence levels for various outcomes, categorized by high (++), moderate (+), and poor (−) evidence; NA non applicable, ADL basic activities of daily living, *IADL* instrumental activities of daily living

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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Health outcomes of sarcopenia: a consensus report by the outcome working group of the Global Leadership Initiative in Sarcopenia (GLIS)

Affiliations

Health outcomes of sarcopenia: a consensus report by the outcome working group of the Global Leadership Initiative in Sarcopenia (GLIS)

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

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MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources