Abstract
Objectives: Understanding the condition that describes the coexistence of obesity and sarcopenia, termed sarcopenic obesity (SO), is becoming a scientific and clinical priority. In this study, we aimed to assess the prevalence of SO in treatment-seeking adults with obesity and investigate any potential association between SO and a sedentary lifestyle, expressed in terms of daily steps.Methods: In this cross-sectional, prospective observational study, body composition and daily steps measurements were obtained using a segmental body composition analyser (Tanita BC-418) and an Omron HJ-320 pedometer, respectively, in 111 adults of both genders with obesity (body mass index; BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), referred to the Outpatient Clinic in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Beirut Arab University (BAU) in Lebanon. The participants were then categorized according to the presence of absence of SO, defined as an appendicular lean mass divided by body weight (ALM/weight) × 100%) of less than 23.40 and 29.60 in females and males, respectively.Results: Fifty-five of the 111 participants with obesity, with a mean age of 39.62 ± 16.55 years and a mean BMI of 38.05 ± 5.33 kg/m2 met the criteria for SO and displayed a significantly higher prevalence of inactivity (<5,000 daily steps), i.e., nearly double (54.5% vs. 32.1%; p = 0.017) and they had a lower mean number of daily steps than those in the group without SO (5,279 ± 2,641 vs. 6,732 ± 2,989; p = 0.008). Linear regression analysis showed that SO is associated with a lower number of daily steps by 1,421 (β = −1421.4; −2508.9, −333.9; p = 0.011) after adjusting for age, gender employment and the presence of cardiometabolic disease.Conclusion: Sarcopenic obesity affects nearly 50% of treatment-seeking adults with obesity. Moreover, it seems to be associated with a lower number of daily steps and a sedentary lifestyle. Future studies are needed to clarify whether this may influence clinical outcomes. If this is shown to be the case, weight management programmes should incorporate additional physical activity strategies in this population.
Highlights
A new phenotype has been identified, which occurs in the presence of both sarcopenia and obesity, and is termed sarcopenic obesity (SO), describing the coexistence of increased body-fat mass deposition and a reduction in lean mass as well as muscle strength [1, 2]
Linear regression analysis showed that having SO is associated with a lower number of daily steps by 1,421 (β = −1421.4; −2508.9, −333.9; p = 0.011) after adjusting for age, gender, employment and the presence of cardiometabolic diseases
Our study aimed to provide data on the prevalence of sarcopenia in treatment-seeking adults with obesity and to assess any association between SO and a more sedentary lifestyle, expressed as measured routine daily steps
Summary
A new phenotype has been identified, which occurs in the presence of both sarcopenia and obesity, and is termed sarcopenic obesity (SO), describing the coexistence of increased body-fat mass deposition and a reduction in lean mass as well as muscle strength [1, 2]. Understanding of this condition is becoming a scientific and clinical priority [1]. Recent studies have found a strong association between SO and impairment of physical performance [10]. To the best of our knowledge, it is still unclear whether individuals with SO are likely to have a more sedentary lifestyle than those with obesity alone, if this is true, it may have significant clinical implications, especially among those seeking treatment and in the identification of SO in patients with obesity, for whom it becomes critically important to target interventions [11]
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