Critical appraisal of definitions and diagnostic criteria for sarcopenic obesity based on a systematic review

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenic obesity is a clinical and functional condition characterized by the coexistence of excess fat mass and sarcopenia. Currently, different definitions of sarcopenic obesity exist and its diagnostic criteria and cutoffs are not universally established. Therefore, the prevalence and sensitivity of this condition for any disease risk prediction is affected significantly. Aim: This work was conducted under the auspices of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) and the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO). An international expert panel performed a systematic review as an initial step to analyze and summarize the available scientific literature on the definitions and the diagnostic criteria for sarcopenic obesity proposed and/or applied in human studies to date. Methods: The present systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The search was conducted in April 2018 in three databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science). Human studies conducted in both sexes, irrespective of ethnicity, and published from 2007 to 2018 were included; cohorts of individuals with obesity and

Effects of High Intensity Dynamic Resistance Exercise and Whey Protein Supplements on Osteosarcopenia in Older Men with Low Bone and Muscle Mass. Final Results of the Randomized Controlled FrOST Study

“…However, there were some noticeable features. Apart from a very low baseline 25-OHD levels in both groups, applying an obesity cut-off of 27%-30% total body fat, as suggested by the majority of SO-studies [43], found that the vast majority (75%-94%) of our cohort was "osteosarcopenic obese" (SO) [44].…”

COVID-19 is associated with clinically significant weight loss and risk of malnutrition, independent of hospitalisation: A post-hoc analysis of a prospective cohort study

“…Approximately one third of patients were females (33.3%), and median age was 59.0 [49.5–67.9] years. Median disease duration, as estimated by the time from diagnosis to negative swab, was 30 [ [25] , [26] , [27] , [28] , [29] , [30] , [31] , [32] , [33] , [34] , [35] , [36] , [37] , [38] ] days. Patient characteristics upon admission to the ED are summarized in Table 1 .…”

“…At multivariate analyses only disease duration and - in hospitalised patients - length of stay were significant independent predictors of weight loss, reflecting the importance of disease severity and inflammation to weight loss. In our cohort of COVID-19 patients, weight loss occurred in a relatively short time (median disease duration: 32 [ [27] , [28] , [29] , [30] , [31] , [32] , [33] , [34] , [35] , [36] , [37] , [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] ] days). This is consistent with previous studies showing that even short periods of bed rest induce marked reductions in muscle protein synthesis resulting in loss of skeletal muscle mass, both in middle-aged and elderly individuals [ [22] , [23] , [24] ].…”

“…Sarcopenic obesity, i.e. the coexistence of excess fat mass and sarcopenia, is a prevalent and often underrecognized complication of obesity that may associate with worse clinical outcomes [ 36 ].…”

Sarcopenic obesity in ageing: cardiovascular outcomes and mortality

“…The operational definition of sarcopenic obesity is still under discussion (36) and hence there is no universally accepted classification (24,40,52) . There is a marked heterogeneity in definitions and approaches to diagnose sarcopenic obesity (54) . The threshold values used in previous literature to define both sarcopenia and obesity have varied significantly depending on population, age, sex and ethnicity (55) .…”