J Bone Metab.  2018 Feb;25(1):53-58. 10.11005/jbm.2018.25.1.53.

Sarcopenic Obesity in Elderly Korean Women: A Nationwide Cross-sectional Study

• Kwon YN
• Yoon SS
• Lee KH

• KMID: 2406239
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.11005/jbm.2018.25.1.53

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Sarcopenia causes loss of muscle mass in the elderly and is associated with development of metabolic syndrome in those with obesity. This study evaluated the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity (SO) in healthy Korean elderly women.
METHODS
This study was based on data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV and V, 2008-2011. Whole body dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and body mass index measurement were performed for all patients. Women aged 65 years or older were included in this study. Total appendicular extremity muscle mass was used to determine the skeletal muscle mass index.
RESULTS
Of 2,396 women aged 65 years or older, a total of 1,491 (62.2%) were underweight, normal weight, or overweight, while 905 (37.8%) were obese. The prevalence of sarcopenia using a cut-off value of 5.4 kg/m2 was 64.9% (63/97) in underweight women, 38.2% (320/838) in normal weight women, 17.1% (95/556) in overweight women, and 6.1% (55/905) in obese women.
CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of sarcopenia was different among groups. The prevalence rate in obese women was lower than that in non-obese women. SO is a new category of obesity in older adults with high adiposity coupled with low muscle mass. The prevalence of SO was lower than that in previous studies because of differences in the definition. A consensus definition of SO needs to be established.

Keyword

Body mass index; Korea; Obesity; Sarcopenia; Women

MeSH Terms

Absorptiometry, Photon
Adiposity
Adult
Aged*
Body Mass Index
Consensus
Cross-Sectional Studies*
Extremities
Female
Humans
Korea
Muscle, Skeletal
Nutrition Surveys
Obesity*
Overweight
Prevalence
Sarcopenia
Thinness

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Flow chart of included participants. KNHANES, Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

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  Fig. 2 Prevalence rate of sarcopenia according to the degree of body mass index.

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