Elevated Plasma Growth and Differentiation Factor 15 Is Associated With Slower Gait Speed and Lower Physical Performance in Healthy Community-Dwelling Adults
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BACKGROUND: Growth and differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) has been associated with obesity, muscle wasting, and cachexia. The receptor for GDF-15 was recently identified in the brainstem and regulates food intake and metabolism. The relationship of plasma GDF-15 with the age-associated decline of muscle mass and strength, gait speed, and physical performance in adults has not been well characterized. METHODS: Plasma GDF-15, grip strength, 6-m gait speed, 400-m walking test time, lower extremity physical performance score, appendicular lean mass, and fat mass were measured in 194 healthy adult participants, aged 22-93 years, of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. RESULTS: Plasma GDF-15 concentrations increased with age (p < .001) and were higher in whites compared with blacks and Asians (p = .04). Adults with higher plasma GDF-15 had slower 6-m gait speed, longer 400-m walking time, and lower physical performance score in multivariable analyses adjusting for age and race. Plasma GDF-15 was not associated with grip strength, appendicular lean mass, or fat mass. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated plasma GDF-15 is associated with slower gait speed, higher 400-m walking time, and lower physical performance in very healthy community-dwelling adults. The relationship between plasma GDF-15 and sarcopenia-related outcomes may be stronger in the population not selected to be healthy, and this hypothesis should be tested in a representative population.
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GDF-15 reduces food intake and body weight.
“This gut-brain cytokine works as a prominent player in reducing food intake and body weight in health and disease, like anorexia nervosa and cancer.”
From GDF-15 as a Weight Watcher for Diabetic and Non-Diabetic People Treated With Metformin (2020) · cites this paper as [106]
Elevated GDF-15 expression and circulating levels correlate with further weight loss and reduced food intake and appetite.
“In addition, elevated GDF-15 expression and circulating levels correlate with further weight loss, reduce food intake and appetite (42, 43, 106).”
From GDF-15 as a Weight Watcher for Diabetic and Non-Diabetic People Treated With Metformin (2020) · cites this paper as [106]
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References 58 · Cited by 94
- Authors
- Semba, R. D., Gonzalez-Freire, M., Tanaka, T., Biancotto, A., Zhang, P., Shardell, M., Moaddel, R., CHI Consortium, & Ferrucci, L.
- Affiliations
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Trans-NIH Center for Human Immunology, Autoimmunity, and Inflammation, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
- Corresponding author
- Semba, Richard D
- Venue
- The Journals of Gerontology Series A
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2019-03-15
- Volume
- 75
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 175-180
- ISSN
- 1079-5006 (ISSN-L)
- 1758-535X
- PMC
- PMC6909888
- OpenAlex
- W2921455265
- Cited by
- 94
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 2
- FWCI
- 7.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model (vor)
- Locations
- The Journals of Gerontology Series A (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (R01 AG027012, R01 EY024596, R56 AG052973)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › GDF15 and Related Biomarkers
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nutrition and Health in Aging
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Geriatrics and Gerontology › Frailty in Older Adults
- Keywords
- growth and differentiation factor 15, GDF15, walking speed, physical performance, sarcopenia, aging, muscle mass, appendicular lean mass, fat mass, grip strength, walking time, racial differences, healthy older adults
- MeSH terms
- Walking Speed, Physical Functional Performance, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Gait, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Prospective Studies, Biomarkers, Geriatric Assessment, Growth Differentiation Factor 15, Young Adult, Sarcopenia, Independent Living, Healthy Volunteers
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