Central obesity is associated with lower prevalence of sarcopenia in older women, but not in men: A cross-sectional study
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Abstract Background Obesity is a chronic disease that causes various medical health problems, increases morbidity, and reduces the quality of life. Obesity (especially central obesity) in older adults is expected to act with the development of sarcopenia. However, the relationship between obesity, central obesity, and sarcopenia remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the impact of obesity on sarcopenia. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we used data from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study; 1,827 community-dwelling older adults (883 men and 944 women) aged 70–84 years were recruited. The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) criteria were used to evaluate sarcopenia. Subjects with a low appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI; men: < 7.0 kg/m2, women: < 5.4 kg/m2) and either low handgrip strength (HGS; men: < 28 kg, women: < 18 kg) or low Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB; ≤ 9) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 25 kg/m2, while central obesity was defined as WC measurements of ≥ 90 cm in men and ≥ 85 cm in women. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of obesity and central obesity on sarcopenia and the parameters of sacropenia. Results In both sexes, the obese group, defined based on the BMI, had a significantly low prevalence of low ASMI (odds ratio [OR] = 0.14, 95% confidence interval CI = 0.10–0.20 in men, OR = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.12–0.25 in women) and sarcopenia (OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.16–0.50 in men, OR = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.08–0.35 in women) in the multivariable logistic regression analysis. In women, the central obese group had a low prevalence of sarcopenia (OR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.27–0.77) in the multivariable logistic regression analysis. Meanwhile, the obese group had a significantly higher prevalence of low SPPB in women (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.18–2.59). Conclusions Obesity may have a protective effect on low ASMI and sarcopenia, as defined by the AWGS criteria. Central obesity was associated with a low prevalence of sarcopenia in women only. However, obesity did not have a positive impact on functional parameters of sarcopenia including muscle strength and physical performance.
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Previous studies showed that females with central obesity but not males had lower prevalence of sarcopenia.
“Previous studies also showed that females with central obesity but not males had lower prevalence of sarcopenia (28).”
From The role of obesity in sarcopenia and the optimal body composition to prevent against sarcopenia and obesity (2023) · cites this paper as [28]
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- Authors
- Choi, S., Chon, J., Lee, S. A., Yoo, M. C., Yun, Y., Chung, S. J., Kim, M., Lee, E. T., Kyu Choi, M., Won, C. W., & Soh, Y.
- Affiliations
- Kyung Hee University (KR)
- Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong (KR)
- Kyung Hee University Medical Center (KR)
- Corresponding author
- Won, Chang Won
- Soh, Yunsoo
- ORCID
- Venue
- BMC Geriatrics
- Published
- 2022-05-09
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 406-406
- ISSN
- 1471-2318 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9082840
- OpenAlex
- W4229368060
- Cited by
- 32
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 2
- FWCI
- 4.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- BMC Geriatrics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Korea Medical Device Development Fund
- Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (1711138173)
- Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (KMDF_PR_20200901_0101, 1711138173)
- Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea
- 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
- abdominal obesity, sarcopenia, obesity, older adults, sex differences, appendicular skeletal muscle mass index, grip strength, Short Physical Performance Battery, Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criteria, Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study, community-dwelling older adults, body mass index, waist circumference, frailty, sarcopenic obesity, sarcopenic frailty
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Obesity, Quality of Life, Cohort Studies, Prevalence, Hand Strength, Sarcopenia, Obesity, Abdominal
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