Abstract
ObjectivesSarcopenia and visceral obesity have been suggested to aggravate each other, resulting in a vicious cycle. However, evidence based on prospective study is very limited. Our purpose was to investigate whether visceral fat promotes a decrease in skeletal muscle mass and vice versa.MethodsWe observed changes in anthropometric and body composition data during a follow-up period of 27.6±2.8 months in 379 Korean men and women (mean age 51.9±14.6 years) from the Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS). Appendicular lean soft tissue (ALST) mass was calculated using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and visceral fat area (VFA) was measured using computed tomography at baseline and follow-up examination.ResultsALST mass significantly decreased, whereas trunk and total fat mass increased in both men and women despite no significant change in weight and body mass index. In particular, women with visceral obesity at baseline had a greater decrease in ALST mass than those without visceral obesity (P = 0.001). In multiple linear regression analysis, baseline VFA was an independent negative predictor of the changes in ALST after adjusting for confounding factors including age, gender, life style and body composition parameters, insulin resistance, high sensitivity C-reactive protein and vitamin D levels (P = 0.001), whereas the association between baseline ALST mass and changes in VFA was not statistically significant (P = 0.555).ConclusionsThis longitudinal study showed that visceral obesity was associated with future loss of skeletal muscle mass in Korean adults. These results may provide novel insight into sarcopenic obesity in an aging society.
Highlights
Aging is often accompanied by changes in body composition that lead to a shift toward decreased muscle mass and increased fat mass, even in relatively weightstable, healthy individuals [1, 2]
Dysregulation of adipokines originating from visceral adipose tissue, such as tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin-6 (IL-6), leptin, and adiponectin, has been reported to influence insulin resistance and growth hormone (GH) secretion, which are closely associated with sarcopenia [6]
systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), triglyceride, and 25[OH]D were higher in men than in women (P,0.001, respectively), whereas high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was significantly lower in men than in women (Table 1)
Summary
Aging is often accompanied by changes in body composition that lead to a shift toward decreased muscle mass and increased fat mass, even in relatively weightstable, healthy individuals [1, 2]. Both obesity and sarcopenia, the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, are important causes of frailty, disability, morbidity, and mortality [3]. Sarcopenia reduces the intensity and duration of physical activity, which results in decreased energy expenditure These changes may increase the risk of obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders, such as metabolic syndrome [3]. Insulin is a pivotal anabolic signal and insulin resistance is regarded to be the main factor that connects obesity and sarcopenia [7]
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