Serum albumin is associated with skeletal muscle in elderly men and women

Abstract

Serum albumin concentrations decrease with age and values < 38 g/L are associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and disability in the elderly. It is not clear to what extent the decreases are associated independently with changes in metabolism, dietary intake, physical activity, morbidity, or body composition. We examined associations of serum albumin with age, protein and energy intakes, physical activity, morbidity, and muscle mass in 275 men and women aged 60-95 y. Serum albumin was measured with the bromcresol green procedure. Usual dietary intake and physical activity were quantified through questionnaires. Morbidity was ascertained from medical history, questionnaire, and examination. Muscle mass was estimated from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. In multivariate analyses, serum albumin was associated significantly with muscle mass after age, protein intake, physical activity, and comorbidity were controlled for in men and women. This study suggests that decreases with age in serum albumin concentrations are associated with muscle loss (sarcopenia) in the elderly. This association is independent of other factors that may affect muscle mass and albumin concentration. We suggest that the increased risk of disability with low serum albumin concentrations observed in the elderly may actually reflect an association with sarcopenia.

Predictors of low bone mineral density in the elderly: the role of dietary intake, nutritional status and sarcopenia

“…Although there was no apparent association with daily protein intake, when the nutritional deficiency becomes chronic and produces mass and visceral protein depletion, the effect on bone mass loss also comes to light. Serum albumin is a sensitive indicator of severe protein depletion and some authors use it as a measure of frailty and disability (Baumgartner et al, 1996). Serum albumin was found inversely associated with the risk of hip fracture, both in a prospective study (Thiebaud et al, 1997) and in a case-control study (Huang et al, 1996), supporting the view that severe protein depletion plays a part in causing hip fracture (Di Monaco et al, 2003).…”

Relationship between Serum Albumin Level and Aging in Community-Dwelling Self-Supported Elderly Population

“…Several epidemiological and clinical studies have described an association of low serum albumin concentration with increased morbidity and mortality (4-7, 18, 22-25). Functional impairment and disability in elderly people are also reported to be associated with low serum albumin (9)(10)(11)26). Several studies in patients or general population have shown that serum albumin concentration decreases with age, especially in the elderly, although the magnitude of decrease varies considerably among studies (13-18, 23, 27).…”

Health Characteristics of Elderly Japanese Requiring Care at Home

“…It has also been suggested that weight loss in the elderly is mainly due to a decrease in the volume of non-adipose tissues, including skeletal muscles, rather than a decrease in the amount of adipose tissue (Schneider et al 2002), and that there is significant correlation between the decrease in serum albumin level and d e c r e a s e i n t h e s k e l e t a l m u s c l e v o l u m e (Baumgartner et al 1996). Fiatarone et al (1994) demonstrated the efficiency of muscle strength training (exercise training) and nutritional supplementation for improvement of physical functions in the elderly.…”