Influence of Severe Sarcopenia on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Nonobese Men

Abstract

It is unknown whether severe sarcopenia produces unfavorable effects on cardiovascular risk factors. To examine the influence of severe and moderate sarcopenia on selected cardiovascular risk factors, 687 men were screened; those exhibiting clinically relevant diseases and higher body fat percentage (>25% fat) were excluded. A total of 410 men aged 40-76 years (mean age 56.0 years) were used for data analyses. Sarcopenia was defined as a skeletal muscle mass (SM) index (muscle mass/height squared) of 1-2 standard deviations (SD) below (moderate) or <2 SDs below (severe) the mean for young adult men. Ultrasound-measured subcutaneous fat and muscle thicknesses were used to estimate the SM, percent body fat, and fat-free mass. Serum total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were determined using fasting blood samples. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were also measured. HDL-C was similar among the groups, but TC was lower in severe and moderate sarcopenia groups compared to the normal group. As a result, the TC:HDL-C ratio was lower in the moderate and severe sarcopenia groups than in the normal group. After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and percent body fat, HDL-C was lower in both sarcopenia groups compared to the normal group, but other parameters were similar among the groups. A low prevalence of high HDL-C and high prevalence of moderate HDL-C were observed in the severe and the moderate sarcopenia groups. Our results suggest that moderate and severe sarcopenia may influence the HDL-C level, although the values are still maintained in the clinically normal range.