Sarcopenia, and its association with cardiometabolic and functional characteristics in Taiwan: Results from I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study

Aim: Sarcopenia is a well-recognized geriatric syndrome, which is associated with a variety of adverse outcomes. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of sarcopenia and its associative clinical characteristics in Taiwan. Methods: Data of the I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study (ILAS) were retrieved for this study. Sarcopenia was defined according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria, and comparisons of demographic characteristics, physical performance, body composition, cardiometabolic profiles and functionality indicators were carried out. Results: Overall, data of 1008 participants (mean age 65.2±9.3 years, male 50.6%) were retrieved for analysis. The cut-off value of relative appendicular skeletal muscle was 7.0kg/m2 for men and 5.9kg/m2 for women. Sarcopenia was significantly related to low body mass index, smaller waist circumference, poor nutrition and poor cognition. The mean carotid intima-media thickness and cardiometabolic parameters showed no statistically significant findings. Conclusions: The present paper showed the epidemiology of sarcopenia, and the strong connection to functionality indicators. However, sarcopenia was not associated with cardiometabolic risk or carotid intima media thickness in the present study. © 2014 Japan Geriatrics Society.