Sarcopenic obesity and sarcopenia in relation to frailty, independent of locomotive syndrome: the DETECt-L cross-sectional study
10.1016/j.afos.2025.11.003
- Author:
Naoki DEGUCHI
;
Tomoyuki AKITA
;
Yasushi UCHIYAMA
;
Ryo TANAKA
- Publication Type:Original article
- From:Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia
2026;12(1):44-50
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Objectives:Frailty among community-dwelling older adults increases the risk of adverse health outcomes. Sar copenic obesity (SO), characterized by low muscle mass combined with excess adiposity, may worsen frailty.Locomotive syndrome (LS) shares features with frailty and sarcopenia. This study examined whether LS modifies the association between body composition and frailty.
Methods:We analyzed cross-sectional data of 481 adults aged ≥ 40 years from the DETECt-L cohort in Japan.Frailty was defined according to the Japanese Cardiovascular Health Study criteria. Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance, based on skeletal muscle mass and body fat, to categorize participants into normal, sarcopenia, obesity, or SO phenotypes. Logistic regression-estimated odds ratios for comparing prefrailty/frailty with robustness were calculated. Model 1 was unadjusted; Model 2 (fully adjusted) adjusted for age, sex, pain, fall history, and Timed Up-and-Go and single-leg standing tests; and Model 3 additionally included body mass index (BMI) (sensitivity).
Results:Overall, 41.6% of participants were classified as prefrail or frail. The distribution of body composition phenotypes was as follows: normal (42.8%), sarcopenic (31.2%), obese (15.8%), and SO (10.2%). In Model 2, both sarcopenia (odds ratio [OR], 2.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38–3.63) and SO (OR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.21–5.24) were associated with increased odds of prefrailty/frailty. These associations remained robust after adjusting for BMI. However, LS did not significantly affect these associations.
Conclusions:Sarcopenia and SO were independently associated with prefrailty/frailty regardless of LS status.Integrating muscle function and adiposity metrics may support early risk detection in community settings.
