Higher Uric Acid Serum Levels Are Associated With Sarcopenia In West China: Results From The WCHAT Study

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenia is the decline in muscle strength and mass attributed to aging. The pathogenesis of sarcopenia may be triggered by oxidative stress and uric acid (UA) has strong antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between UA and sarcopenia in community-dwelling adults of West China using the baseline data of West China Health and Aging Trend (WCHAT) study. Methods: 4236 adults aged 50 years or older in communities of west China were enrolled in this study. We applied AWGS 2019 criteria to define sarcopenia. Muscle mass was measured using skeletal muscle index (SMI) based on bioimpedance analysis (BIA). Handgrip strength (HGS) and gait speed (GS) were recorded, respectively. Different variables like anthropometry measures, life styles, chronic disease and blood test were collected.Results: Participants were grouped according to UA quartiles by gender. After adjusting for potential confounders, a significant association between serum UA levels and sarcopenia was shown both in men and women. And a significant association between serum UA levels and HGS in women was shown as a inverted J shape. Besides, the association between the UA quartiles and SMI was significant, irrespective of gender.Conclusions: Our results showed that a specific range of serum UA levels might be associated with sarcopenia and better HGS or SMI among Chinese adults aged over 50. Higher UA serum levels might slow down the progression of sarcopenia.