A study following more than 5,000 participants for 12 years found that straightforward clinical measurements can help identify sarcopenic obesity without relying on complex imaging methods such as MRI and CT scans.
Researchers from the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil, working with scientists from University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom, have found that having both excess abdominal fat and reduced muscle mass greatly increases the risk of death.
Their analysis showed that people with this combination faced an 83% higher risk of dying compared with individuals who did not have these conditions.
When fat gain and muscle loss collide
When these two problems occur together, they point to a more serious condition known as sarcopenic obesity. This disorder involves a gradual loss of muscle while body fat increases. Diagnosing it can be difficult, yet it has major consequences for older adults. Sarcopenic obesity is associated with declining independence, poorer quality of life, and a higher likelihood of falls and other health complications. The condition is also often linked to frailty syndrome.
”In addition to assessing the risk of death associated with abdominal obesity and low muscle mass, we were able to prove that simple methods can be used to detect sarcopenic obesity. This is important because the lack of consensus on diagnostic criteria for this disease makes it difficult to detect and treat,” says Tiago da Silva Alexandre, a professor in the Department of Gerontology at UFSCar and one of the authors of the study supported by FAPESP. “Thus, our findings allow older adults to have greater access to early interventions, such as nutritional monitoring and physical exercise, ensuring an improvement in quality of life.”
The findings were published in the journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research and are based on 12 years of follow up involving 5,440 adults aged 50 or older who participated in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA).
Simple measurements can replace complex scans
Sarcopenic obesity is usually identified through advanced medical imaging and body composition tests, including magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, electrical bioimpedance, or densitometry. These techniques are capable of measuring body fat levels as well as reductions in muscle mass and function. Despite their precision, they are costly and often limited to specialized medical centers. As a result, diagnosing this condition in everyday clinical practice can be difficult.
