Sarcopenia and Sarcopenic Obesity Linked to Increased Mortality

Data from a population-based cohort study in the Netherlands suggested that sarcopenic obesity (SO) may be associated with worse survival, and screening for muscle function may help for early identification and prevent premature death among older people. From March 1, 2009, to June 1, 2014, 5888 participants (mean age, 69.5 years; mean BMI, 27.5; 56.8% female, 11.1% probable sarcopenia and 2.2% confirmed sarcopenia) were assessed and followed until October 2022. SO with 1 and 2 altered component of body composition (BC, high fat percentage and/or low appendicular lean mass [ALM]/weight ratio) was present in 5.0% and 0.8% of participants, respectively. An increased risk of all-cause mortality was observed in participants with probable sarcopenia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.29) and confirmed sarcopenia (HR, 1.93). Participants with SO plus 1 altered component of BC (HR, 1.94) or 2 altered components of BC (HR, 2.84) had an even higher risk of mortality than those without SO. Similar results for SO were obtained for participants with a BMI of 27 or greater. Probable sarcopenia was defined as having a low handgrip strength (defined as <27 kg for men and <16 kg for women) and confirmed as having a low appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI, defined as <7.0 for men and <5.5 for women). Maximum handgrip strength was obtained as the maximum value of 3 trials performed in the nondominant hand. The sum of the lean mass from the upper and lower limbs (using a total body-beam densitometer) is called ALM, and ASMI was defined as ALM divided by height squared. The results are in line with previous studies linking sarcopenia and SO to an increased mortality in older people. Comprehensive approaches encompassing nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions may be utilized to delay the onset of and to treat sarcopenia, especially SO. Source: https://jamanetwork.com/