Influence of Severe Sarcopenia on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Nonobese Men

Background: It is unknown whether severe sarcopenia produces unfavorable effects on cardiovascular risk factors. To examine the influence of severe and moderate sarcopenia on selected cardiovascular risk factors, 687 men were screened; those exhibiting clinically relevant diseases and higher body fat percentage (> 25% fat) were excluded. A total of 410 men aged 40-76 years (mean age 56.0 years) were used for data analyses. Methods: Sarcopenia was defined as a skeletal muscle mass (SM) index (muscle mass/height squared) of 1-2 standard deviations (SD) below (moderate) or < 2 SDs below (severe) the mean for young adult men. Ultrasound-measured subcutaneous fat and muscle thicknesses were used to estimate the SM, percent body fat, and fat-free mass. Serum total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were determined using fasting blood samples. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were also measured. Results: HDL-C was similar among the groups, but TC was lower in severe and moderate sarcopenia groups compared to the normal group. As a result, the TC: HDL-C ratio was lower in the moderate and severe sarcopenia groups than in the normal group. After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and percent body fat, HDL-C was lower in both sarcopenia groups compared to the normal group, but other parameters were similar among the groups. A low prevalence of high HDL-C and high prevalence of moderate HDL-C were observed in the severe and the moderate sarcopenia groups. Conclusion: Our results suggest that moderate and severe sarcopenia may influence the HDL-C level, although the values are still maintained in the clinically normal range.