Relationship between masticatory function and sarcopenic obesity in community-dwelling older adults aged 75 or older: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: The relationship between sarcopenic obesity and masticatory function is poorly understood. This study aims to explore this association in community-dwelling individuals aged 75 years or older. Methods: This study analyzed data from 236 community-dwelling adults aged 75 years or older. Masticatory function was assessed using spectrophotometric measurement of gum color differences before and after chewing color-changeable gum (ΔE*ab). Participants were categorized into tertiles of masticatory function based on their ΔE*ab values. The tertiles were defined as low, intermediate, and high. Sarcopenic obesity was assessed using the Consensus statement of the Japanese Working Group on Sarcopenic Obesity. Bayesian multinomial logistic regression was employed to examine the relationship between masticatory function and sarcopenic obesity. Results: The prevalence rates for obesity, sarcopenia, and sarcopenic obesity were 15.3%, 24.2%, and 9.7%, respectively. After adjusting for covariates, participants with high masticatory function had a significantly lower posterior estimate of sarcopenic obesity (posterior estimate: −1.83 [95% credible interval: −3.66, −0.22]) and sarcopenia (posterior estimate: −1.97 [95% credible interval: −3.37, −0.72]) compared with participants with low masticatory function. However, no significant associations were observed between masticatory function and obesity. Conclusions: These findings suggest that high masticatory function is associated with a significantly lower prevalence of sarcopenic obesity in older adults.