Gaining weight around the waist, combined with losing muscle mass elsewhere, is a dangerous combination for your life. — Germax
The combination of abdominal fat and muscle loss in those aged 50 and above increases their risk of death by 83%, compared to people without these conditions.
This is according to a study by researchers at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil, in partnership with University College London in Britain.
Published in the journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, their results were obtained from 12 years of follow-up of 5,440 participants aged 50 years or older in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (Elsa).
This combination is so dangerous that it identifies an even greater problem: sarcopenic obesity, which is characterised by loss of muscle mass while gaining fat throughout the body.
It is a difficult condition to diagnose, and is related to loss of independence and worsening quality of life in older adults.
It is also known as frailty syndrome and is associated with an increased risk of falls and other health conditions.
Sarcopenic obesity is typically diagnosed using complex tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), electrical bioimpedance or densitometry.
However, despite their high accuracy, these tests are expensive and only available through a few health services.
This makes diagnosing the disease a major challenge in clinical practice.
“By correlating data from Elsa study participants, we found that simple measures, such as measuring abdominal circumference and estimating lean mass [using a consolidated equation that considers clinical variables such as age, sex, weight, race and height], showed for the first time that it’s possible to screen these individuals early,” says study corresponding author and UFSCar Department of Gerontology professor Dr Tiago da Silva Alexandre.
The relationship between muscle mass loss and abdominal obesity has an amplified effect on metabolism.
“We also found that the risk of death was reduced by 40% among those with low muscle mass and no abdominal obesity – a finding that reinforces the potential danger of the co-existence of the conditions.
“Interestingly, individuals with abdominal obesity, but adequate muscle mass, weren’t associated with an increased risk of death,” explains study first author and UFSCar Department of Gerontology researcher Prof Dr Valdete Regina Guandalini.
She explains that excess fat intensifies inflammatory processes that trigger metabolic and catabolic changes, further aggravating muscle loss.
“In addition to one condition interfering with the other, fat infiltrates the muscle and takes up its space.
“This systemic and progressive inflammation directly affects muscle tissue, compromising its metabolic, endocrine, immunological and functional capabilities,” she says.
As there is no consensus worldwide on the definition of sarcopenic obesity, the researchers identified abdominal obesity as having an abdominal circumference greater than 102cm for men and 88cm for women.
Low muscle mass was defined as a skeletal muscle mass index of less than 9.36 kg/m² for men and less than 6.73 kg/m² for women. – Agência FAPESP
