The combination of sarcopenia, age-related loss of muscle strength and mass, and obesity has been recognized as a new category of obesity among the elderly. Given that leptin has been hypothesized to be involved in the pathogenesis of sarcopenic obesity, we investigated the relationship between plasma leptin levels and thigh muscle sarcopenia and visceral obesity. Thigh muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and visceral fat area were measured using computed tomography as indices for muscle mass and visceral fat, respectively, in 782 middle-aged to elderly subjects (303 men and 479 women), participating in a medical check-up program. Visceral obesity was defined as visceral fat area >100 cm2, and sarcopenia was defined as < (one standard deviation − mean of thigh muscle CSA/body weight of young subjects [aged <50 years]).Thigh muscle CSA was significantly and negatively associated with plasma levels of leptin in both men (β = -0.28, p<0.0001) and women (β = -0.20, p<0.0001), even after correcting for other confounding parameters, including age, body weight, body height, visceral fat area, blood pressure, homeostatic model assessment index, and high sensitive C reactive protein. Subjects were divided into four groups based on presence or absence of sarcopenia or visceral obesity. Plasma levels of leptin were higher in subjects with sarcopenic visceral obesity than in those with either sarcopenia or visceral obesity alone. These findings indicate that sarcopenic visceral obesity is a more advanced, and suggest that leptin may link visceral obesity and sarcopenia.

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Background/Aim: Lower body weight in later life has been shown to be associated with dementia. However, abdominal fat distribution under conditions of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the possible involvement of leptin and adiponectin in MCI have not been fully investigated. Methods: We analyzed 517 middle-aged-to-elderly community-dwelling persons. Abdominal subcutaneous fat and visceral fat areas were determined using computed tomography, and plasma leptin and adiponectin concentrations were measured in fasting samples. MCI was assessed using the Japanese version of the MCI screening method. Results: In men, the abdominal subcutaneous fat area was significantly lower in participants with MCI than in those with normal cognitive function [median (interquartile range): 107.4 (85.9, 133.1) cm² vs. 136.4 (93.1, 161.4) cm²; p = 0.002]. Logistic regression analyses with confounding factors including age and abdominal subcutaneous fat area showed that a 10 mg/l increase in plasma adiponectin had a protective effect against the development of MCI in men (odds ratio: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.20–0.97; p = 0.041). In contrast, MCI was not found to be associated with abdominal fat area or adipose-derived hormones in women. Conclusion: Reduced amounts of subcutaneous fat and low levels of plasma adiponectin were found to be associated with MCI in men.

BackgroundThere is a close association between frailty and cognitive impairment. However, the underlying contribution of sarcopenia to the development of cognitive impairment is unclear. We investigated the possible association between muscle mass decline and cognitive impairment in a cross‐sectional study of 1518 subjects aged 55 years or above. We also evaluated arterial stiffness and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) as possible underlying mechanisms for this association.MethodsTwo sarcopenic indices were measured: thigh muscle cross‐sectional area (CSA; calculated by computed tomography) and skeletal muscle mass (bioelectric impedance). Muscle mass decline was defined as either the bottom 10% or 20% of participants for each sex. Cognitive function was assessed using the Touch Panel‐type Dementia Assessment Scale, and brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity was measured as an index of arterial stiffness.ResultsBoth sarcopenic indices were modestly but significantly associated with brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity in male and female subjects. The presence of WMHs was significantly associated with low thigh muscle CSA in men and with low skeletal muscle mass in women. The Touch Panel‐type Dementia Assessment Scale score was modestly but significantly and positively associated with thigh muscle CSA in men and skeletal muscle mass in women. Muscle mass decline in the bottom 10% of participants on both sarcopenic indices was significantly and independently related to cognitive impairment in women.ConclusionsLower sarcopenic indices are significantly related to lower cognitive scores. Arterial stiffness and WMHs could account, at least in part, for this association.

These findings indicate that the SBP2, an estimate of central SBP, is significantly associated with the presence of SVD in an apparently healthy general population.

Silent cerebral microbleeds (MBs) are a common finding in stroke patients, especially those with intracerebral hemorrhage, and are thought to be a marker of future cerebral hemorrhage. Clinically, two distinct forms of MBs have been documented, those observed with either or both stroke or small vessel disease (SVD) and those associated with cerebral amyloid angiopathy. We investigated a possible association between MBs and arterial stiffness in a general population. Subjects were 443 apparently healthy individuals with a mean age of 67.1 ± 8.1 years. The presence of MBs, lacunar infarcts and periventricular hyperintensity (PVH) was determined by 3-tesla magnetic resonance imaging. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured by ultrasonography. Arterial stiffness was evaluated by brachial-to-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and the Framingham stroke risk score (FSRS) was obtained as an integrated cerebrovascular risk factor. The prevalence of MBs was 5.0%. Both baPWV and FSRS were significantly higher in subjects with MBs (1820 ± 308 vs. 1645 ± 325 cm/s, P¼0.014 and 12.1 ± 8.6 vs. 8.9 ± 7.5%, P¼0.047, respectively). Odds ratio of a high baPWV, defined as X1500 cm/s, for the presence of MBs was 6.05 even after correction for confounding parameters, including age and hypertension. This association with high baPWV remained irrespective of MBs location, whether strictly located in the lobes or in the basal ganglia and infratentorial regions. These findings indicate an association between arterial stiffness and the presence of MBs. Assessment of arterial stiffness may be useful in identifying subjects at high risk for the presence of MBs.

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Background/Aims: Mobility impairment in older adults has been suggested to be a marker of subclinical structural and functional brain abnormalities. We investigated a possible association between static postural instability and brain abnormalities and cognitive decline. Methods: The study subjects were 390 community residents without definitive dementia (67 ± 7 years old) and 21 patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Brain atrophy was measured by MRI. Results: The mobility of the posturography-measured center of gravity (COG) was positively associated with the temporal horn area (THA; r = 0.260; p < 0.001). Subjects who could not stand on one leg for >40 s (n = 102) showed a significantly larger THA (22 ± 18 vs. 14 ± 11 × 10^–2 cm²; p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis identified COG path length (β = 0.118; p = 0.032) and one-leg standing time (β = 0.176; p = 0.001) as independent determinants of THA. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects (n = 61) had a significantly enlarged THA compared to that of normal cognitive subjects (22 ± 16 vs. 16 ± 13 × 10^–2 cm²; p = 0.002). AD patients showed a more enlarged THA (78 ± 55 × 10^–2 cm²). Subjects with cognitive decline showed a significantly shorter one-leg standing time (normal: 50 ± 17 s; MCI: 42 ± 21 s; AD: 18 ± 20s; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Reduced postural stability was an independent marker of brain atrophy and pathological cognitive decline in the elderly.