Factors associated with sarcopenia: A cross-sectional analysis using UK Biobank

Abstract

Introduction-The critical sociodemographic, lifestyle and diseases factors influencing sarcopenia, defined by the current European Working Group on Sarcopenia 2 (EWGSOP2) classification and cutoff points, have not yet been fully elucidated. This study aimed, therefore, to determine sociodemographic, anthropometric, lifestyle and health-related factors associated with sarcopenia using the new EWGSOP2 definition. Study design-396,283 participants (52.8% women, age 38-73 years) were included in this crosssectional study. The potential factors associated with sarcopenia were allocated to four categories: sociodemographic (sex, age, education, income and professional qualification), anthropometric (nutritional status, abdominal obesity, body fat and birth weight), lifestyle (physical activity, smoking, sleeping and sitting time, TV viewing, alcohol, and dietary intakes) and health status (self-reported prevalent diseases). P-values were corrected for multiple testing using the Bonferroni method. Results-Age, women, lower education, higher deprivation, underweight, lower birth weight, and chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, chronic bronchitis and osteoporosis were associated with a higher likelihood of sarcopenia. Conversely, overweight, obese, as well as a self-reported higher intake of energy, protein, vitamins (B12 and B9) and minerals (potassium, calcium and magnesium) were associated with lower odds of sarcopenia. Conclusion-Women, adults older than 65 years, underweight people and those with rheumatoid arthritis were most likely to have sarcopenia. Considering the increase in the ageing population, sarcopenia is likely to become more prevalent. Identifying factors associated with sarcopenia could inform future strategies for early identification of individuals at high risk of sarcopenia and therefore, the implementation of preventive strategies against the disease.

Nutrition and Sarcopenia—What Do We Know?

“…A few studies have shown associations between other minerals and sarcopenia as well. In a cross-sectional analysis of the UK Biobank, individuals who reported higher intakes of potassium were associated with lower odds of sarcopenia [61]. Potassium may play a role in preserving lean tissue mass through alkaline diets, which will be discussed in a later section.…”

“…A cross-sectional analysis of 396,283 participants through UK Biobank revealed that a higher intake of calcium was associated with lower odds of sarcopenia [61]. An analysis of the fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) also found that daily calcium intake was positively correlated with appendicular skeletal muscle mass in 1339 older Korean adults [62].…”

“…A cross-sectional analysis of 396,283 participants using the UK Biobank revealed an inverse association between magnesium intake and sarcopenia [61]. Another cross-sectional analysis of the Maastricht Sarcopenia Study included 227 community-dwelling older adults and found that sarcopenic older adults had a significantly lower daily intake of Mg [44].…”

Sarcopenia in hospitalized geriatric patients: insights into prevalence and associated parameters using new EWGSOP2 guidelines

“…Criteria of EWGSOP2 have been used for different patient cohorts and settings. Studies reported prevalence rates of sarcopenia between 0.4 and 9.3% in community-dwelling older adults [7,[10][11][12][13]. Higher rates of prevalence have been found in other patient populations such as octogenarian males (20.0%) [14] and in patients with liver cirrhosis (28.2%) [15].…”

Sarcopenic obesity in ageing: cardiovascular outcomes and mortality

“…Many factors contribute to the development of sarcopenia but its aetiology is not completely understood. A number of pathological mechanisms have been suggested to underlie age-related muscle loss including neuronal and hormonal changes, being underweight, undernutrition including low protein intake, physical inactivity and inflammation (6,(18)(19)(20)(21)(22) . Sarcopenia is of major concern in ageing populations as it is associated with metabolic impairment, cardiovascular risk factors and physical disability (23)(24)(25) .…”