Sarcopenic obesity using the ESPEN and EASO consensus statement criteria of 2022 - Results from the German KORA-Age study

Sabine Schluessel; Marie-Theres Huemer; Annette Peters; Michael Drey; Barbara Thorand

doi:10.1016/j.orcp.2023.08.002

Sarcopenic obesity using the ESPEN and EASO consensus statement criteria of 2022 - Results from the German KORA-Age study

Obes Res Clin Pract. 2023 Jul-Aug;17(4):349-352. doi: 10.1016/j.orcp.2023.08.002. Epub 2023 Aug 25.

Authors

Sabine Schluessel¹, Marie-Theres Huemer², Annette Peters³, Michael Drey⁴, Barbara Thorand⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine IV, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Ziemssenstraße 5, 80336 Munich, Germany. Electronic address: Sabine.Schluessel@med.uni-muenchen.de.
² Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
³ Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Epidemiology, Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry, and Epidemiology - IBE, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Marchioninistraße 15, 81377 Munich, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), partner site Munich-Neuherberg, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Cardiovascular Disease Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany.
⁴ Department of Medicine IV, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Ziemssenstraße 5, 80336 Munich, Germany.
⁵ Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), partner site Munich-Neuherberg, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.

PMID: 37633820
DOI: 10.1016/j.orcp.2023.08.002

Abstract

Objective: The recent consensus statement of ESPEN and EASO recommends reviewing existing datasets to assess the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity based on the new definition and diagnostic criteria. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity in a population-based study and to assess the association of this new definition with clinical traits.

Methods: The KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg)-Age baseline examination (2008/2009) comprised 1079 participants aged 65 years and older from southern Germany. Sarcopenic obesity was defined in 998 participants (mean age 75.6 years, 498 women) with complete data according to the 2022 ESPEN and EASO algorithm, which includes reduced handgrip strength, reduced skeletal muscle mass per weight, and elevated fat mass. Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Associations between sarcopenic obesity and physical activity, disability, multimorbidity, and polypharmacy were assessed using logistic regression analysis.

Results: The overall prevalence of sarcopenic obesity was 4.5 % (5.0 % in men, 4.0 % in women). Sarcopenic obesity was associated with disability (2.87 [CI 1.84-4.48]), multimorbidity (≥ 2 comorbidities; 2.59 [CI 1.23-5.46]), polypharmacy (≥ 5 drugs; 1.96 [CI 1.05-3.63]), cognitive impairment (3.03 [CI 1.51-6.06]) and arthritis (2.66 [CI 1.39-5.07]) after adjusting for age, sex and marital status.

Conclusion: Sarcopenic obesity is prevalent in the older German population and is associated with several clinical traits. Future longitudinal studies are needed to further elucidate whether the observed associations could be causal.

Keywords: Aging population; Bioelectrical impedance analysis; Cognitive impairment; Disability; Fat mass; Handgrip strength; Multimorbidity; Polypharmacy; Prevalence; Sarcopenic obesity; Skeletal muscle mass.