Prospective associations between changes in physical activity and sedentary time and subsequent lean muscle mass in older English adults: the EPIC-Norfolk cohort study

Abstract

Background: The longitudinal associations between physical behaviours and lean muscle mass indices need to be better understood to aid healthy ageing intervention development.

Methods: We assessed physical behaviours (total physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity, total sedentary time and prolonged sedentary bout time) for 7 days using hip-worn accelerometers. We also assessed domain-specific physical behaviours (walking, cycling, gardening and housework time) with self-report questionnaires at baseline (2006-2011) and follow-up (2012-2016) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk study. We assessed body composition using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) at follow-up in 1535 participants (≥ 60 years at baseline). From this, we derived appendicular lean muscle mass (ALM) indices (% relative ALM = (ALM/total body weight)*100), body mass index (BMI)-scaled ALM (ALM/BMI, kg/kg/m²) and height-scaled ALM (ALM/height², kg/m²)). We evaluated the prospective associations of both baseline and change in physical behaviours with follow-up muscle mass indices using multivariable linear regression.

Results: Over 5.5 years (SD 14.8) follow-up, higher baseline accelerometer-measured physical activity and lower sedentary time were associated with higher subsequent relative ALM and BMI-scaled ALM, but not height-scaled ALM (e.g. 0.02% higher subsequent relative ALM per minute/day of baseline MVPA for men). Greater increases in physical activity and greater declines in sedentary time variables were associated with higher subsequent relative ALM and BMI-scaled ALM, but not height-scaled ALM (e.g. 0.001 kg/kg/m² subsequent BMI-scaled ALM and 0.04% subsequent relative ALM per min/day/year increases in LPA over follow-up; 0.001 kg/kg/m² subsequent BMI-scaled ALM and -0.03% subsequent relative ALM per min/day/year less of total sedentary time over follow-up). Greater increases in women's cycling and gardening over follow-up were associated with greater subsequent relative ALM (cycling 0.9% per hour/week/year; gardening 0.2% per hour/week/year) and BMI-scaled ALM (cycling 0.03 kg/kg/m² per hour/week/year; gardening 0.004 kg/kg/m² per hour/week/year).

Conclusion: Physical behaviours across all intensities, and in women more specifically cycling and gardening, may help prevent age-related declines in muscle mass.

Keywords: Longitudinal; Muscle; Muscle mass; Older adults; Physical activity; Physical behaviour; Sarcopenia; Sedentary.