Sarcopenic Obesity: Prevalence and Association With Metabolic Syndrome in the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA)

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity (SO) and its relationship with metabolic syndrome in a community-based elderly cohort in Korea.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

In this study, 287 men and 278 women aged 65 or older were recruited. Sarcopenia was defined as the appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) divided by height squared (Ht²) (kg/m²) or by weight (Wt) (%) of <1 SD below the sex-specific mean for young adults. Obesity was defined as a visceral fat area ≥100 cm².

RESULTS

The prevalence of SO was 16.7% in men and 5.7% in women with sarcopenia defined by ASM/Ht²; however, it was 35.1% in men and 48.1% in women by ASM/Wt. Using ASM/Wt, the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance of subjects with SO was higher and they were at higher risk for metabolic syndrome (odds ratio [OR] 8.28 [95% CI 4.45–15.40]) than the obese (5.51 [2.81–10.80]) or sarcopenic group (2.64 [1.08–6.44]).

CONCLUSIONS

SO defined by ASM/Wt was more closely associated with metabolic syndrome than either sarcopenia or obesity alone.The number of obese elderly people is increasing worldwide. Aging is associated with increased fat mass and reduced muscle mass or strength, even in those with stable body weight. This sarcopenic obesity (SO) is associated with deteriorations in physical disability, morbidity, and mortality. Therefore, sarcopenia and obesity might act synergistically on metabolic and functional impairments in the elderly (1–2). However, there have been few reports investigating the association of SO with metabolic syndrome, particularly in Asian ethnic groups. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of SO and its association with metabolic syndrome in a community-based elderly cohort in Korea.