Identification of Sarcopenic Obesity in German Nursing Home Residents—The Role of Body Composition and Malnutrition in the BaSAlt Cohort-Study

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is a phenotype, which is defined by reduced muscle strength, muscle mass, and obesity. Limited mobility leads to increased sedentary behavior and decreased physical activity. Both sarcopenia and obesity are aggravated by these factors. In combination, SO is an additional challenge for the setting nursing home (NH). Previous studies have shown a low prevalence of residents with SO in comparable settings, such as community-dwelling. We hypothesize that the BaSAlt cohort also has a small proportion of residents with SO. Methods: For the analysis, 66 residents (women: 74.2%) aged ≥ 65 years from NH, were screened for SO based on EWGSOP2 specifications and cut-off values to classify obesity. Results: Severe sarcopenia was quantified in eleven residents (16.7%). The majority of sarcopenic residents were women (n = 10) compared to men (n = 1). However, no SO could be identified by assessment of body mass index, fat mass in percentage, and fat mass index. Conclusion: As expected, the setting-specific cohort showed a low number of SO. Furthermore, no case of SO was identified in our study. Sarcopenia was associated with an increased fat-free mass in NH residents. Nevertheless, sarcopenia and obesity play important roles in the preservation of residents’ health.

Sarcopenia, Obesity, Sarcopenic Obesity and Risk of Poor Nutritional Status in Polish Community-Dwelling Older People Aged 60 Years and Over

“…Obesity was diagnosed based on PBF assessed with the BIA method. The cut-off points for excessive adiposis were >42% in women and >30% in men [ 35 , 44 , 45 ].…”

“…The modification consisted of the replacement of the ALM/Weight for the muscle mass assessment with the ALM/BMI, commonly used in the diagnostic of SO in previous research. SO was diagnosed in participants concomitantly fulfilling the following criteria: Reduced muscle strength in lower and/or upper limbs to assess the upper limb muscle strength subjects performed HGS twice with each hand; the cut-off points were <16 kg in women and <27 kg in men; the lower limb strength was assessed with 5STS, with a cut-off point of >15 s [ 42 ]; Increased fat mass (the cut-off points for excessive adiposis were >42% in women and >30% in men [ 35 , 44 , 45 ]); Reduced muscle mass based on the ALM/BMI index and cut-off points of <0.512 in women and <0.789 in men [ 47 ]. …”

“…Increased fat mass (the cut-off points for excessive adiposis were >42% in women and >30% in men [ 35 , 44 , 45 ]);…”

“…Our study aimed to assess the prevalence of sarcopenia, obesity, and SO in older Polish citizens living in the community and investigate the association between the Mini Nutritional Assessment questionnaire (MNA) score and these conditions. To the best of our knowledge, there are only a few papers assessing the risk of malnutrition based on a validated screening tool simultaneously in the three pathological body composition phenotypes [ 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]. Our study was the first research conducted in central Europe.…”