Abstract
Due to global aging, frailty and sarcopenia are increasing. Sarcopenia is defined as loss of volume and strength of skeletal muscle in elderlies, while frailty involves multiple domains of aging-related dysfunction, impaired cognition, hypomobility, and decreased social activity. However, little is known about the metabolic basis of sarcopenia, either shared with or discrete from frailty. Here we analyzed comprehensive metabolomic data of human blood in relation to sarcopenia, previously collected from 19 elderly participants in our frailty study. Among 131 metabolites, we identified 22 sarcopenia markers, distinct from 15 frailty markers, mainly including antioxidants, although sarcopenia overlaps clinically with physical frailty. Notably, 21 metabolites that decline in sarcopenia or low SMI are uremic compounds that increase in kidney dysfunction. These comprise TCA cycle, urea cycle, nitrogen, and methylated metabolites. Sarcopenia markers imply a close link between muscle and kidney function, while frailty markers define a state vulnerable to oxidative stress.
Highlights
Due to the wave of global aging, aging-related diseases among the elderly are increasing: hypertension, diabetes, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, dementia, cancer, etc
We previously reported findings of non-targeted comprehensive metabolomic analysis of whole blood based on frailty diagnosis using the Edmonton frail scale (EFS) in 19 elderly participants (7 males and 12 females; average age; 84.2 ± 6.9 years) [28] (Figure 1A)
Sarcopenia was diagnosed based on metrics of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS), which includes hand grip strength, a 10-meter speed-walking test, and skeletal muscle index (SMI) among patients over 65 years old [5]
Summary
Due to the wave of global aging, aging-related diseases among the elderly are increasing: hypertension, diabetes, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, dementia, cancer, etc. Frailty and sarcopenia are well known as aging-related diseases [1, 2]. Both diseases are increasing with estimated global populations of about 120 million and 90 million individuals, respectively [3, 4]. Sarcopenia is defined as a loss of skeletal muscle and muscle strength in the elderly [5], while frailty is a state of vulnerability to several stressors, due to declined function or impairment of organs and tissues during aging [1]. Frailty encompasses multiple domains of aging, including cognitive impairment, hypomobility, and decreased social activity [1, 6]
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