Background: Some studies have investigated the relationship between sarcopenia and metabolic syndrome, and they have focused mainly on older subjects. Therefore, we assessed the association between sarcopenia and metabolic syndrome in South Korean adults 20 years of age or older using data from the 2009-2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Methods: This study involved 12,256 (5350 males and 6906 females) participants from the 2009-2010 KNHANES 20 years of age or older. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Sarcopenia index (SI) was calculated as ASM/body mass index and sarcopenia was defined as an SI of <0.789 in males and <0.521 in females. Metabolic syndrome was defined by the presence of at least three of the following abnormalities: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood glucose level, high triglyceride level, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. Results: After adjustment for covariates, the association between sarcopenia and metabolic syndrome was significant (odds ratio [OR] 2.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.74-2.45). In addition, when stratified by age groups, the significant associations between sarcopenia and metabolic syndrome remained in all age groups (20-39 years: OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.08-4.19; 40-64 years: OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.68-2.71; ≥65 years: OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.54-2.54). Conclusion: The association between sarcopenia and metabolic syndrome was significant in South Korean adults. Moreover, the significant associations were present in every age group evaluated.
Keywords: central obesity; dyslipidemia; hypertension; impaired fasting glucose; sarcopenia.