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WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Low muscle mass is associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk in the elderly, according to a study published in the July issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Felipe M. de Santana, from Universidade de Sao Paulo in Brazil, and colleagues evaluated 839 community-dwelling older individuals (\u226565 years; 516 women) using a questionnaire, clinical data, laboratory exams, and body composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Both total fat and its components (visceral adipose tissue) were estimated. To determine low muscle mass, researchers adjusted for fat and appendicular lean mass divided by height.<\/p>\n
During a mean 4.06 years of follow-up, there were 132 deaths. In an adjusted analysis, the researchers found a significant increase among men in all-cause mortality risk with the presence of low muscle mass (odds ratio, 11.36) and visceral adipose tissue (odds ratio, 1.99 for each 100-gram increase). However, total fat, measured by the fat mass index, was associated with a decreased mortality risk (odds ratio, 0.48). There were similar results for cardiovascular mortality. In women, the only predictor of all-cause or cardiovascular death was low muscle mass (odds ratios, 62.88 and 74.54, respectively).<\/p>\n
“These findings highlight the importance of body composition by DXA as a promising tool for the evaluation of sarcopenia, body fat, and mortality risk in older adults,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
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