Low Muscle Mass Linked to Mortality in Older Adults

A study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research associated low muscle mass (LMM) with increased mortality in people 65 and older, reports Docwire News . The researchers used dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to assess body composition in older community-dwelling adults, including an evaluation of total fat mass, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), appendicular lean mass, and distinct LMM definitions. A total of 707 out of 839 individuals were included in the second analysis. Evaluation of male subjects in adjusted analyses revealed a significantly higher all-cause mortality risk associated with LMM and VAT, yet total fat correlated with a lower mortality risk. Cardiovascular mortality analysis yielded similar results. The only predictor of mortality among women was LMM, but the connection was significant for both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. "The fat mass seems to play opposite roles according to its distribution in older men," concluded the researchers. "Visceral fat increases the risk of death, whereas total body fat has a protective role, quite different to what is established in the literature for young adults. These findings highlight the importance of body composition by DXA as a promising tool for the evaluation of sarcopenia, body fat, and mortality risk in older adults."