Abstract
Obesity and sarcopenia combination, appropriately defined as sarcopenic obesity (SO), due to disproportionally reduced/low lean body mass compared to excess fat mass, may lead to disability. Aims: The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship among sarcopenic obesity, physical performance, disability, and quality of life in a rehabilitation setting. Methods: Participants were recruited among obese patients (BMI > 30 kg/m2) admitted to the rehabilitation facility at the Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Physiopatology, Food Science and Endocrinology Section during a 1-year period. A multidimensional evaluation was performed through bioelectrical impedance analysis and anthropometry, handgrip strength test, Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and blood chemistry parameters. Psychological status (SCL-90 questionnaire), quality of life, and comorbidity (Charlson comorbidity index score) were also evaluated. Obesity was diagnosed as increased fat mass by 35% in women and by 25% in men. Sarcopenia was defined if lean body mass (LBM) was <90% of the subject’s ideal LBM. Results: 79 patients (48 women and 31 men; mean age: 60.1 ± 11.5 years, and 58.6 ± 10.8 years, respectively) were enrolled. Results showed a high prevalence of SO (54.4%) in our samples of obese subjects. Sarcopenia was present not only among older obese adults but also among younger obese subjects, and was related to reduced functional performance, to inflammatory status and to worse psychological status and quality of life.
Highlights
Sarcopenic obesity is a critical public health related to two important phenomena: the rising prevalence of obesity in western and developing countries, and the increase of lifespan [1]-[4]
Age and body mass index (BMI) were not statistically significantly different between genders, whereas statistically significant differences were found in terms of body composition as well as functional performance and biochemical parameters, globally showing decreased values in females
According with the definition used for diagnosing sarcopenia, 43 (54.4%) obese subjects were sarcopenic
Summary
Sarcopenic obesity is a critical public health related to two important phenomena: the rising prevalence of obesity in western and developing countries, and the increase of lifespan [1]-[4]. Changes in body composition, occurring in ageing as well as in obesity, represent the common soil where sarcopenic obesity develops [4]. An imbalance between lean mass, excess body fat and total body size may appear earlier in obese adults [5] [6], because of the disproportion between the even conserved lean mass when compared to fat mass, exceeding body weight that lean mass could support. Likewise, both sarcopenia and obesity are linked to functional impairment [11] [12]. The associations between obesity per se and poor physical performance, as well as long-term consequences of sarcopenia on physical performance are potentially more severe in obese elder individuals [13]-[15]
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