Sarcopenic obesity using the ESPEN and EASO consensus statement criteria of 2022 – Results from the German KORA-Age study
Abstract
Objective The recent consensus statement of ESPEN and EASO recommends reviewing existing datasets to assess the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity based on the new definition and diagnostic criteria. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity in a population-based study and to assess the association of this new definition with clinical traits.Methods The KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg)-Age baseline examination (2008/2009) comprised 1079 participants aged 65 years and older from southern Germany. Sarcopenic obesity was defined in 998 participants (mean age 75.6 years, 498 women) with complete data according to the 2022 ESPEN and EASO algorithm, which includes reduced handgrip strength, reduced skeletal muscle mass per weight, and elevated fat mass. Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Associations between sarcopenic obesity and physical activity, disability, multimorbidity, and polypharmacy were assessed using logistic regression analysis.Results The overall prevalence of sarcopenic obesity was 4.5 % (5.0 % in men, 4.0 % in women). Sarcopenic obesity was associated with disability (2.87 [CI 1.84-4.48]), multimorbidity (≥ 2 comorbidities; 2.59 [CI 1.23-5.46]), polypharmacy (≥ 5 drugs; 1.96 [CI 1.05-3.63]), cognitive impairment (3.03 [CI 1.51-6.06]) and arthritis (2.66 [CI 1.39-5.07]) after adjusting for age, sex and marital status.Conclusion Sarcopenic obesity is prevalent in the older German population and is associated with several clinical traits. Future longitudinal studies are needed to further elucidate whether the observed associations could be causal.
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SO might be influenced by multiple shared factors and pathophysiological pathways that affect both sarcopenia and obesity, including age, sedentary lifestyle, lack of muscle exercise, hormone levels, nutritional status, insulin resistance, systemic inflammation and others.
“SO might be influenced by multiple shared factors and pathophysiological pathways that affect both sarcopenia and obesity, including age, sedentary lifestyle, lack of muscle exercise, hormone levels, nutritional status, insulin resistance, systemic inflammation and others [14, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27].”
From Sarcopenic Obesity Phenotype Index (SOP <i>i</i> ): A Population‐Based Study (2025) · cites this paper as [14]
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- Authors
- Schluessel, S., Huemer, M.-T., Peters, A., Drey, M., & Thorand, B.
- Affiliations
- LMU Klinikum (DE)
- Helmholtz Munich (DE)
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Schluessel, Sabine
- Venue
- Obesity Research & Clinical Practice
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2023-07
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 349-352
- ISSN
- 1871-403X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4386170589
- Cited by
- 46
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 20
- FWCI
- 8.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Obesity Research & Clinical Practice (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (01ET1003A, FKZ 01ET0713)
- LMU Medizinische Fakultät
- Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung Dienststelle Berlin
- Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt, Helmholtz Zentrum München
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nutrition and Health in Aging
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Body Composition Measurement Techniques
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Geriatrics and Gerontology › Frailty in Older Adults
- Keywords
- sarcopenic obesity, prevalence, older adults, grip strength, skeletal muscle mass, fat mass, disability, multimorbidity, polypharmacy, cognitive impairment, arthritis, physical activity, KORA-Age study
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Body Composition, Consensus Statements as Topic, Female, Germany, Humans, Male, Obesity, Exercise, Prevalence, Hand Strength, Consensus, Sarcopenia
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