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Cited by 484Nutrition and Health in AgingBody Composition Measurement TechniquesMuscle Physiology and Disorders

Skeletal muscle mass and quality: evolution of modern measurement concepts in the context of sarcopenia

Open access
Heymsfield, Steven B., Gonzalez, M. Cristina, Lu, Jianhua, Jia, Guang, Zheng, Jolene·2015·Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
DOI 10.1017/s0029665115000129
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Abstract

The first reports of accurate skeletal muscle mass measurement in human subjects appeared at about the same time as introduction of the sarcopenia concept in the late 1980s. Since then these methods, computed tomography and MRI, have been used to gain insights into older (i.e. anthropometry and urinary markers) and more recently developed and refined methods (ultrasound, bioimpedance analysis and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) of quantifying regional and total body skeletal muscle mass. The objective of this review is to describe the evolution of these methods and their continued development in the context of sarcopenia evaluation and treatment. Advances in these technologies are described with a focus on additional quantifiable measures that relate to muscle composition and ‘quality’. The integration of these collective evaluations with strength and physical performance indices is highlighted with linkages to evaluation of sarcopenia and the spectrum of related disorders such as sarcopenic obesity, cachexia and frailty. Our findings show that currently available methods and those in development are capable of non-invasively extending measures from solely ‘mass’ to quality evaluations that promise to close the gaps now recognised between skeletal muscle mass and muscle function, morbidity and mortality. As the largest tissue compartment in most adults, skeletal muscle mass and aspects of muscle composition can now be evaluated by a wide array of technologies that provide important new research and clinical opportunities aligned with the growing interest in the spectrum of conditions associated with sarcopenia.

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  • DXA has limitations including cost issues, variability in tissue thickness, lean tissue hydration, lack of skeletal muscle quantification, the overall skeletal muscle proportion of lean mass, and the inclusion of the non-muscle lean component that may reduce accuracy in persons with obesity and lead to discrepancies between body composition and functional parameters.

    “For DXA it includes cost issues, variability in tissue thickness, lean tissue hydration, lack of skeletal muscle quanti fi cation,. the overall skeletal muscle proportion of lean mass, and the inclusion of the non-muscle lean component that may reduce accuracy in persons with obesity and lead to discrepancies between body composition and functional parameters [84,119,120].”

    From Definition and diagnostic criteria for sarcopenic obesity: ESPEN and EASO consensus statement (2022) · cites this paper as [120]

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  • Assessment of body composition and muscle function can provide useful information to guide the clinical management of obesity.

    “Assessment of body composition (lean/muscle mass and fat mass) and muscle function can provide useful information to guide the clinical management of obesity.”

    From Strategies for minimizing muscle loss during use of incretin‐mimetic drugs for treatment of obesity (2025) · cites this paper as [112]

    The 'Adjusting measurements for body size' section says muscle-mass assessment should account for adiposity when evaluating sarcopenic obesity, and 'Guideline development' describes muscle-function tests used to assess sarcopenia. These passages support the value of the assessments, but they do not establish that they guide clinical management of obesity generally. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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1 of the 101 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [95]95. American College of Sports Medicine (2013) ACSM Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. 9th edi- tion. London: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins.

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Authors
Heymsfield, S. B., Gonzalez, M. C., Lu, J., Jia, G., & Zheng, J.
Affiliations
Pennington Biomedical Research Center (US)
Corresponding author
Heymsfield, Steven B.
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
2015-04-08
Volume
74
Issue
4
Pages
355-366
ISSN
  • 0029-6651 (ISSN-L)
  • 1475-2719
DOI
10.1017/s0029665115000129
OpenAlex
W2002911924
Semantic Scholar
952a7bf2738462331c6d3830a04208ca3846d859
Cited by
483
References
101
Citations by year
2026: 28 · 2025: 38 · 2024: 51 · 2023: 73 · 2022: 66 · 2021: 57 · 2020: 60 · 2019: 42 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 5
FWCI
2.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified)
Locations
  • Proceedings of The Nutrition Society (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nutrition and Health in Aging
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Body Composition Measurement Techniques
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Muscle Physiology and Disorders
Keywords
sarcopenia, skeletal muscle mass, muscle quality, muscle composition, sarcopenic obesity, cachexia, frailty, muscle strength, physical performance, muscle mass assessment, bioelectrical impedance analysis, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, anthropometry
MeSH terms
Body Composition, Diagnostic Imaging, Humans, Physical Fitness, Muscle, Skeletal, Muscle Strength, Sarcopenia

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