Recent Progression in Sarcopenia and Sarcopenic Obesity

Abstract

One of the important changes of body composition with ageing is the increase of fat mass and visceral fat and the decrease of muscle mass and strength. Sarcopenia, the age-related decrease in skeletal muscle mass, is associated with functional disability, falls, and mortality. Recent studies found that older people with low skeletal muscle mass and obesity (sarcopenic obesity) have a higher risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. However, a consensus of the definition of sarcopenia is lacking in clinical practice. The reported prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenia in Koreans is a wide range. This may be due to differences in study population and diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia. The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People proposed a clinical definition and diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia. These diagnostic criteria include the presence of both low muscle mass and low muscle function (strength or performance). Further studies for the clinical application of newly developed criteria for sarcopenia are needed.