The impact of sarcopenic obesity on inflammation, lean body mass, and muscle strength in elderly women

Abstract

Objective

The objective of this study was to apply the newly standardized definition for sarcopenia from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) and the current definition for obesity to 1) determine the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity (SO) in obese elderly women; 2) compare the muscle strength, lean body mass, and markers of inflammation between obese elderly women with SO and nonsarcopenic obesity (NSO), and 3) elucidate the relationship between appendicular lean mass adjusted for body mass index (aLM/BMI) with muscle strength, lean body mass, and obesity indices.

Methods

A total of 64 elderly obese women (age: 68.35±6.04 years) underwent body composition analysis by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Participants were classified into two groups according to the definition of SO and NSO. Blood samples were collected for total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, uric acid, urea, interleukin-6 (IL-6), glucose, and creatine kinase (CK) measurements.

Results

The SO group presented a significantly greater BMI, fat (%), glucose, a marginal trend toward significance for uric acid, and IL-6 compared to the NSO group. In addition, the SO group displayed lower values for muscle strength and lean body mass. From a correlation standpoint, a higher aLM/BMI was positively associated with lean body mass and muscle strength and negatively associated with a lower BMI and percentage body fat.

Conclusion

The definition criteria from FNIH and obesity permit the ability to illustrate the prevalence and identify SO in elderly women with low muscle mass, low muscle strength, and impaired markers of inflammation.

Keywords:

• aging
• fat mass
• muscles
• obesity
• sarcopenia
• sarcopenic obese

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the laboratory LAFIT (Daniele Garcia and contributors) of the Catholic University of Brasilia. In addition, the first author wants to dedicate this paper to his family (Rita de Cassia and Nicolas Cunha). The authors also acknowledge the financial support from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), University of Brasilia, Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Distrito Federal - process: 0193.001450/2016 and CNPQ process: 421836/2016-4.

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the study design, data collection, and article preparation; took part in drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; gave final approval of the version to be published; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.