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
Comparative Study
. 2025 Sep;48(9):2027-2039.
doi: 10.1007/s40618-025-02624-2. Epub 2025 Jun 10.

Sarcopenic obesity and physical function in acromegaly: impact of disease control and evaluation using dual X-ray absorptiometry and multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis

Arthur Costa Inojosa  1   2 , Ana Vitória Hirt  3 , Thaís Araújo  3 , Maria Eduarda Ferreira  3 , Luma Andrade  3 , Vinícius Cunha  3 , Daniella Rego  4 , Aline Lopes  5 , Francisco Bandeira  4   3
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Sarcopenic obesity and physical function in acromegaly: impact of disease control and evaluation using dual X-ray absorptiometry and multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis

Arthur Costa Inojosa et al. J Endocrinol Invest. 2025 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: To assess sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity, physical performance in patients with acromegaly and compare the diagnostic performance of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 27 patients with acromegaly and 27 age-, sex-, and BMI-matched patients without acromegaly. Body composition was assessed using BIA and DXA. Lean mass indices included fat-free mass index (FFMI) and skeletal muscle index (SMI) via BIA, and the Baumgartner (BMG) and Foundation for the National Institutes of Health indices via DXA. Obesity parameters included fat mass index (FMI) and body fat percentage via BIA. Physical performance was evaluated using handgrip strength (HGS), Timed Up and Go (TUG), 4-m gait speed (4MGS), and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) tests. The strength, assistance in walking, rising from a chair, climbing stair and falls (SARC-F) questionnaire was also performed.

Results: Strong correlations were observed between BIA and DXA body composition measures (r = 0.83, p < 0.01 for %BIA fat mass vs. %DXA fat mass; r = 0.80, p < 0.01 for SMI vs. BMG and r = 0.80, p < 0.01 for FFMI vs. BMG). Patients with acromegaly had significantly higher FFMI than patients without the disease (p = 0.03), but no difference in sarcopenic obesity prevalence (p = 0.50). Patients with acromegaly performed worse in the TUG and 4MGS tests, even after adjustment for confounders (p < 0.01 for both). No significant associations were found between SARC-F scores and lean mass or physical performance.

Conclusion: Patients with acromegaly showed impaired physical performance despite higher FFMI, with no differences in sarcopenic obesity. The SARC-F questionnaire showed limited diagnostic value in this population.

Keywords: Acromegaly; Body composition; Obesity; Physical performance; Sarcopenia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have received no financial or non-financial support related to the submitted work. On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author confirms that there are no conflicts of interest to disclose.

References

    1. Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Bahat G, Bauer J, Boirie Y, Bruyère O, Cederholm T, Cooper C, Landi F, Rolland Y, Sayer AA, Schneider SM, Sieber CC, Topinkova E, Vandewoude M, Visser M, Zamboni M (2019) Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Age Ageing 48:16–31. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afz046 - DOI - PubMed
    1. McLean RR, Kiel DP (2015) Developing consensus criteria for sarcopenia: an update. J Bone Min Res 30:588–592. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.2492 - DOI
    1. Heber D, Ingles S, Ashley J, Maxwell M, Lyons R, Elashoff R (1996) Clinical detection of sarcopenic obesity by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 64:472S–477S. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/64.3.472s - DOI - PubMed
    1. Donini LM, Busetto L, Bischoff SC, Cederholm T, Ballesteros-Pomar MD, Batsis JA, Bauer JM, Boirie Y, Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Dicker D, Frara S, Frühbeck G, Genton L, Gepner Y, Giustina A, Gonzalez MC, Han H-S, Heymsfield SB, Higashiguchi T, Laviano A, Lenzi A, Nyulasi I, Parrinello E, Poggiogalle E, Prado CM, Salvador J, Rolland Y, Santini F, Serlie MJ, Shi H, Sieber CC, Siervo M, Vettor R, Villareal DT, Volkert D, Yu J, Zamboni M, Barazzoni R (2022) Definition and diagnostic criteria for sarcopenic obesity: ESPEN and EASO consensus statement. Obes Facts 15:321–335. https://doi.org/10.1159/000521241 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Kyle UG, Schutz Y, Dupertuis YM, Pichard C (2003) Body composition interpretation: contributions of the fat-free mass index and the body fat mass index. Nutrition 19:597–604 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources