Investigation of Sarcopenia and Its Association with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Elderly Subjects

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate sarcopenia and its association with cardiometabolic risk factors in a community-based elderly cohort in Korea. Methods: We recruited 287 men and 278 women aged 65 years or older and without physical disability. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) was measured with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. We used two definitions for sarcopenia-ASM divided by height(2) (kg/m(2)) or by weight (%) <1 SD below the sex-specific mean for young adults. We compared RBP-4, adiponectin, hsCRP, lipid profiles, and insulin resistance between the sarcopenic and normal groups using ASM/Ht(2) and ASM/Wt. Results: The prevalence of sarcopenia was 35.3% in men and 13.4% in women with sarcopenia defined by ASM/Ht(2). However, it was 38.3% in men and 62.6% in women by ASM/Wt. In correlation analysis, body mass index was positively correlated with ASM/Ht(2) and negatively correlated with ASM/Wt. The sarcopenic group, when defined as ASM/Ht(2), showed lower RBP4, fasting plasma glucose, and HOMA-IR and higher adiponectin than the normal group but not significantly different lipid profiles. The sarcopenic group defined by ASM/Wt had higher RBP4, fasting plasma glucose, and HOMA-IR, and lower adiponectin than the normal group in both sexes. Only in the males did the sarcopenic group defined by ASM/Wt reveal higher total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol, and lower HDL cholesterol than the normal group. Conclusion: In conclusion, the sarcopenic group defined by ASM/Wt was more closely associated with cardiometabolic risk factors than the normal group in a community-based elderly cohort.