Physical frailty and body composition in obese elderly men and women

Sarcopenia: age-related skeletal muscle changes from determinants to physical disability

Human aging is characterized by skeletal muscle wasting, a debilitating condition which sets the susceptibility for diseases that directly affect the quality of life and often limit life span. Sarcopenia, i.e. the reduction of muscle mass and/or function, is the consequence of a reduction of protein synthesis and an increase in muscle protein degradation. In addition, the capacity for muscle regeneration is severely impaired in aging and this can lead to disability, particularly in patients with other concomitant diseases or organ impairment. Immobility and lack of exercise, increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines, increased production of oxygen free radicals or impaired detoxification, low anabolic hormone output, malnutrition and reduced neurological drive have been advocated as being responsible for sarcopenia. It is intriguing to notice that multiple pathways converge on skeletal muscle dysfunction, but the factors involved sometimes diverge to different pathways, thus intersecting at critical points. It is reasonable to argue that the activity of these nodes results from the net balance of regulating mechanisms, as in the case of the GH/IGF-1 axis, the testosterone and cortisol functions, the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and receptors. Both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms operate in regulating the final phenotype, the extent of muscle atrophy and reduction in strength and force generation. It is widely accepted that intervention on lifestyle habits represents an affordable and practical way to modify on a large scale some detrimental outcomes of aging, and particularly sarcopenia. The identification of the molecular chain able to reverse sarcopenia is a major goal of studies on human aging.

Effect of obesity on inpatient rehabilitation outcomes after total hip arthroplasty

OBJECTIVE

This study examined whether obesity affected inpatient rehabilitation outcomes after total hip arthroplasty (THA).

RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES

This was a retrospective, comparative study conducted using a computerized medical database derived from THA patients at a university-affiliated rehabilitation hospital (data from 2002 to 2005). Patients were divided into four brackets based on BMI: non-obese (<25 kg/m(2)), overweight (25 to 29.9 kg/m(2)), moderate obesity (30 to 39.9 kg/m(2)), and severe obesity (> or = 40 kg/m(2)). All patients completed an interdisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation program after THA. Functional independence measure (FIM) scores, length of stay (LOS), FIM efficiency scores (FIM/LOS), hospital charges, and discharge disposition location were collected.

RESULTS

FIM scores improved from admission to discharge similarly in all groups (25 to 29.5 points). However, FIM efficiency, LOS, and total charges were curvilinearly related with BMI (all p < 0.05). Total hospital charges were highest in the severely obese group compared with the overweight group (p < 0.05). Non-homebound discharge disposition rates were lower in non-obese (13.1%) and severely obese groups (10.5%).

DISCUSSION

Elevated BMI does not prevent FIM gains in THA patients during inpatient rehabilitation. However, BMI is related with FIM efficiency, LOS, and hospital charges in a curvilinear fashion. Severely obese patients can achieve physical improvements but at a lower efficiency and greater cost.

The cardiometabolic syndrome and sarcopenic obesity in older persons

The aging of the world's population is a major contributor to the growing prevalence of the cardiometabolic syndrome (CMS) because older persons are more affected by the constellation of cardiovascular risk factors that constitute the syndrome. The prevalence of CMS has been related to the increasing prevalence of obesity, which is growing progressively even among older age groups. Indeed, obesity and aging are 2 overlapping mounting public health problems. It is currently accepted that CMS predicts cardiovascular mortality and/or the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and this is also true in studies including older persons. CMS is further complicated by modifications in body composition and fat redistribution during aging; older adults are at higher risk for developing central obesity and sarcopenia or sarcopenic obesity, a condition characterized by an important reduction in lean body mass associated with obesity, linked to an increased production of inflammatory adipokines that may alter insulin sensitivity and muscle mass and strength. A better understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms of sarcopenic obesity may help to elucidate the complex relationship between CMS and mortality/morbidity in older adults.

Effect of lifestyle intervention on metabolic coronary heart disease risk factors in obese older adults

BACKGROUND

Coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors increase with age and body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2). However, whether lifestyle intervention ameliorates metabolic CHD risk factors in obese older adults is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to determine whether lifestyle intervention improves metabolic CHD risk factors in obese older adults.

DESIGN

A 6-mo outpatient randomized controlled trial was conducted in obese (BMI >or= 30) older (>or=65 y) adults randomly assigned to diet and exercise therapy (treatment group; n = 17) or no therapy (control group; n = 10). The main outcomes were CHD risk factors.

RESULTS

Body weight decreased by 8.4% (8.2 kg) in the treatment group; weight did not change significantly (0.7 kg) in the control group (P < 0.001 between groups). Changes between the control and treatment groups, respectively, in waist circumference (1 and -10 cm), plasma glucose (4 and -4 mg/dL), serum triacylglycerols (0 and -45 mg/dL), and systolic (-2 and -10 mm Hg) and diastolic (0 and -8 mm Hg) blood pressure were different (P < 0.05 for all). The number of subjects with the metabolic syndrome decreased by 59% in the treatment group but did not change significantly in the control group (P < 0.05). Serum free fatty acids increased by 10 micromol/L in the control group and decreased by 99 micromol/L in the treatment group (P < 0.05). Changes between the control and treatment groups, respectively, in C-reactive protein (0.8 and -2.5 mg/L) and interleukin 6 (1.6 and -2.4 pg/mL) were different (P < 0.05 for both).

CONCLUSIONS

Lifestyle intervention decreases multiple metabolic CHD risk factors simultaneously in obese older adults.

Obese women and the relation between cardiovascular risk profile and hormone therapy, glucose tolerance, and psychosocial conditions

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the relation between cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and hormone therapy, serum hormone levels, glucose tolerance, and psychosocial and psychological conditions in subjectively healthy obese female subjects.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

The study included 606 women, aged 50-64 years, with BMI 30-40 kg/m(2) and no history of cardiovascular or other severe diseases. One group with a CVD risk profile (n = 473) (i.e., cholesterol >7.0 mmol/l, HDL cholesterol <1.2 mmol/l, triglycerides >2.0 mmol/l, systolic or diastolic blood pressure >140/90 mmHg, or waist-to-hip ratio >0.85) was compared with women without such risk (n = 133). Steroid hormones, leptin, insulin, and oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) were analyzed. A subgroup of women with baseline impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) completed a 2.5-year follow-up OGTT.

RESULTS

Fewer obese postmenopausal women with CVD risk had ever used hormone therapy (odds ratio 0.24 [95% CI 0.07-0.75]), after multivariate adjustments. Furthermore, women with CVD risk had a higher testosterone index (1.07 [1.01-1.13]) and more had insulin resistance (1.04 [1.00-1.08]) and IGT (2.92 [1.50-5.69]), while OGTT was similar at follow-up. No differences were observed regarding family history or lifestyle, except that fewer women with CVD risk consumed fruits, boiled vegetables, or whole-grain cereals. More women with CVD risk lived alone (3.26 [1.28-8.31]) and had more mental problems (1.16 [1.05-1.28]).

CONCLUSIONS

Previously healthy obese women with a CVD risk profile seemed to have a high risk of diabetes, as well as psychosocial or psychological problems. Hormone therapy was associated with reduced CVD risk. Obesity's growing burden on society makes it more important to further target individuals that are at greatest risk of future health hazards.

Associations between aortic calcification and components of body composition in elderly men

OBJECTIVE

To investigate associations among body composition, cardiovascular risk factors, and atherosclerosis in middle-aged and elderly men for the identification of potential pathogenic links.

RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES

The study included 168 white men 44 to 86 years old. Severity of aortic calcification (AC) was graded on lateral radiographs, and body fat and lean mass were measured by DXA. Information on demographic and lifestyle characteristics also was gathered.

RESULTS

A strong and independent inverse association was found between AC and peripheral lean mass (PLM), even after adjusting for age and BMI (p < 0.05). Independently of the influence of PLM, AC was directly correlated with truncal fat mass (p < 0.05). Furthermore, AC was inversely associated with tertiles of the free androgen index (p < 0.05). In a multiple regression model, age and serum cholesterol (p < 0.01) contributed directly, and truncal fat mass tended also to contribute directly (p = 0.09), whereas PLM contributed borderline inversely (p = 0.06) to the variation of AC (R = 0.635, p < 0.0001).

DISCUSSION

Severity of AC is strongly dependent on age and further modulated by an array of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Sarcopenia and truncal fat mass are reciprocal correlates of atherosclerosis of borderline statistical significance in multivariate models. To clarify whether sarcopenia is an atherogenic risk factor or rather a parallel consequence of low-grade inflammation also promoting atherogenic trends, further longitudinal studies in larger sample sizes of men and women are needed.

The relations of body composition and adiposity measures to ill health and physical disability in elderly men

Although body build is related to disability and mortality in older people, the independent contributions of adiposity and lean mass are not fully defined. The authors examined the relations of body composition (fat mass index, fat-free mass index) and adiposity (body mass index, waist circumference) to ill health and physical disability in a cross-sectional study of 4,252 British men aged 60-79 years in 1998-2000. Increased body mass index, waist circumference, and fat mass index were associated with increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease, overall ill health, and disability. Adjusted odds ratios of cardiovascular disease (top vs. bottom fifth) were 1.58 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23, 2.03) for fat mass index, 1.45 (95% CI: 1.14, 1.86) for body mass index, and 1.27 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.62) for waist circumference. For overall "poor/fair" health, the corresponding odds ratios were 1.71 (95% CI: 1.33, 2.21), 1.49 (95% CI: 1.17, 1.90), and 1.64 (95% CI: 1.28, 2.09) and, for mobility limitation, they were 1.56 (95% CI: 1.17, 2.06), 1.96 (95% CI: 1.48, 2.56), and 1.88 (95% CI: 1.42, 2.49). A high fat-free mass index was associated with only a decreased prevalence of respiratory problems and cancer (odds ratios=0.45 (95% CI: 0.33, 0.62) and 0.62 (95% CI: 0.42, 0.94), respectively). Body fatness, not fat-free mass, is associated with cardiovascular disease and disability in older men. Simple measures of overweight, such as body mass index and waist circumference, are good indicators of the likelihood of morbidity in older men. Prevention of weight gain with increasing age is likely to reduce morbidity and disability among older men.

Caring the elderly diabetic patient with respect to concepts of successful aging and frailty

Successful aging and frailty are emerging constructs becoming necessary to define prevention and treatment goals in elderly subjects. Frailty corresponds to the stages between full autonomy or successful aging and irreversible functional dependency or pathological aging. However its definition is imprecise and potential clinical criteria are numerous and interrelated. Diabetes decreases the likelihood for successful aging and particularly increases the risk for functional dependency. One major end-point in the care of elderly diabetic subjects is to investigate the impact of blood glucose control on progression of disability. Geriatric intervention based on comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in the frail elderly population has been shown effective to prevent the loss of autonomy and to improve quality of life, but seems ineffective on mortality. It is now recommended to screen elderly diabetic patients for frailty criteria. The effect of combined individualized diabetes care and CGA on the aging profile should be investigated.

Effect of a community-based weight management program on weight loss and cardiovascular disease risk factors

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of our retrospective database analysis was to describe and evaluate the outcomes of a weight loss intervention in a community medical wellness center.

RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES

Four hundred eighteen overweight and obese adults entered the program between 2001 and 2004. Forty-seven percent completed the 6-month program designed using standards and recommendations established by the NIH, the American Dietetic Association, and the American Academy of Sports Medicine. Data analysis was limited to 198 participants (142 women, 56 men) completing the program.

RESULTS

Individuals completing the 6-month program averaged a weight loss of 7.3% in men and 4.7% in women. Fasting lipids and blood glucose improved in both genders regardless of age. Outcomes including BMI and lipids improved in women regardless of menopausal status or hormone replacement therapy. There was a significant correlation between percentage weight loss and number of weekly counseling sessions attended and number of visits to the wellness center for exercise.

DISCUSSION

Participants who complete a structured community-based weight management program can achieve significant weight loss and improvement in cardiovascular risk factors regardless of age, gender, or menopausal status. Our analysis suggests that national treatment guidelines/recommendations for weight management can be effectively implemented in a community medical wellness center. The relatively high drop-out rate associated with this program suggests the need to identify strategies and techniques to enhance adherence and completion of programs.

Obesity and functional decline: epidemiology and geriatric consequences

Obesity is growing in prevalence among older Americans and is accompanied by an unfortunate burden of chronic disease, functional decline, and poor quality of life. Elevated past or current body mass index (BMI) is strongly associated with increased self-reported functional limitations. Supportive findings have also related decreased physical performance test scores with elevated BMI. Body composition analyses have explored which body compartment is most strongly associated with obesity-related functional impairments. Studies have suggested possible contributions of decreased muscle mass and increased fat mass. Weight reduction intervention studies that have examined functional outcomes among older persons are limited.

Bariatric Programs in Nursing Homes

The increase in prevalence of obesity in older individuals and the association of obesity with increased morbidity, functional decline, hospitalization, and complications is expected to increase the number of individuals who have obesity requiring nursing home care, particularly subacute and short-term rehabilitation. Providing appropriate nursing home care to residents who have obesity requires environmental modifications, specialized equipment, and staff training. Effective nursing home care of residents who have obesity is interdisciplinary and requires special nursing, medical, nutritional, psychosocial, and rehabilitation considerations.

Obesity in older adults: technical review and position statement of the American Society for Nutrition and NAASO, The Obesity Society

Obesity causes serious medical complications and impairs quality of life. Moreover, in older persons, obesity can exacerbate the age-related decline in physical function and lead to frailty. However, appropriate treatment for obesity in older persons is controversial because of the reduction in relative health risks associated with increasing body mass index and the concern that weight loss could have potential harmful effects in the older population. This joint position statement from the American Society for Nutrition and the NAASO, The Obesity Society reviews the clinical issues related to obesity in older persons and provides health professionals with appropriate weight-management guidelines for obese older patients. The current data show that weight-loss therapy improves physical function, quality of life, and the medical complications associated with obesity in older persons. Therefore, weight-loss therapy that minimizes muscle and bone losses is recommended for older persons who are obese and who have functional impairments or medical complications that can benefit from weight loss.

Sarcopenia, obesity, and inflammation--results from the Trial of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibition and Novel Cardiovascular Risk Factors study

BACKGROUND

Age-related body-composition changes are associated with health-related outcomes in elders. This relation may be explained by inflammation and hemostatic abnormalities.

OBJECTIVES

Our objectives were to evaluate the relation between body-composition measures [body mass index (BMI), total fat mass, and appendicular lean mass (aLM)] and C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) and to explore the effect of obesity and sarcopenia on CRP, IL-6, and PAI-1 concentrations.

DESIGN

The data are from the Trial of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibition and Novel Cardiovascular Risk Factors (TRAIN) study baseline visit (n = 286; mean age = 66.0 y). Total fat mass and aLM were assessed with a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan. Linear regressions were performed between body-composition measures and CRP, IL-6, or PAI-1 concentrations. The effect of sarcopenia and obesity (defined as the percentage of fat mass) on CRP, IL-6, and PAI-1 concentrations was evaluated with the use of analyses of covariance.

RESULTS

CRP and IL-6 were positively associated with both BMI [beta = 0.027 (P = 0.03) and beta = 0.048 (P < 0.001), respectively] and total fat mass [beta = 0.049 (P < 0.001) and beta = 0.055 (P < 0.001), respectively] and were inversely associated with fat-adjusted aLM [beta = -0.629 (P = 0.002) and beta = -0.467 (P = 0.02), respectively]. PAI-1 was positively associated with both BMI (beta = 0.038, P = 0.005) and total fat mass (beta = 0.032, P = 0.007). No significant interaction was found between either obesity or sarcopenia and CRP, IL-6, and PAI-1 concentrations. Obesity remained significantly associated with high CRP and IL-6 concentrations after adjustments for sarcopenia.

CONCLUSIONS

CRP and IL-6 are positively associated with total fat mass and negatively associated with aLM. Obesity-associated inflammation may play an important role in the age-related process that leads to sarcopenia. The relation of inflammation with sarcopenia was not independent of any of the considered obesity indexes.

Sarcopenia, obesity, and inflammation--results from the Trial of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibition and Novel Cardiovascular Risk Factors study

BACKGROUND

Age-related body-composition changes are associated with health-related outcomes in elders. This relation may be explained by inflammation and hemostatic abnormalities.

OBJECTIVES

Our objectives were to evaluate the relation between body-composition measures [body mass index (BMI), total fat mass, and appendicular lean mass (aLM)] and C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) and to explore the effect of obesity and sarcopenia on CRP, IL-6, and PAI-1 concentrations.

DESIGN

The data are from the Trial of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibition and Novel Cardiovascular Risk Factors (TRAIN) study baseline visit (n = 286; mean age = 66.0 y). Total fat mass and aLM were assessed with a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan. Linear regressions were performed between body-composition measures and CRP, IL-6, or PAI-1 concentrations. The effect of sarcopenia and obesity (defined as the percentage of fat mass) on CRP, IL-6, and PAI-1 concentrations was evaluated with the use of analyses of covariance.

RESULTS

CRP and IL-6 were positively associated with both BMI [beta = 0.027 (P = 0.03) and beta = 0.048 (P < 0.001), respectively] and total fat mass [beta = 0.049 (P < 0.001) and beta = 0.055 (P < 0.001), respectively] and were inversely associated with fat-adjusted aLM [beta = -0.629 (P = 0.002) and beta = -0.467 (P = 0.02), respectively]. PAI-1 was positively associated with both BMI (beta = 0.038, P = 0.005) and total fat mass (beta = 0.032, P = 0.007). No significant interaction was found between either obesity or sarcopenia and CRP, IL-6, and PAI-1 concentrations. Obesity remained significantly associated with high CRP and IL-6 concentrations after adjustments for sarcopenia.

CONCLUSIONS

CRP and IL-6 are positively associated with total fat mass and negatively associated with aLM. Obesity-associated inflammation may play an important role in the age-related process that leads to sarcopenia. The relation of inflammation with sarcopenia was not independent of any of the considered obesity indexes.

Frailty: Emergence and Consequences in Women Aged 65 and Older in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study

OBJECTIVES

To define frailty using simple indicators; to identify risk factors for frailty as targets for prevention; and to investigate the predictive validity of this frailty classification for death, hospitalization, hip fracture, and activity of daily living (ADL) disability.

DESIGN

Prospective study, the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study.

SETTING

Forty U.S. clinical centers.

PARTICIPANTS

Forty thousand six hundred fifty-seven women aged 65 to 79 at baseline.

MEASUREMENTS

Components of frailty included self-reported muscle weakness/impaired walking, exhaustion, low physical activity, and unintended weight loss between baseline and 3 years of follow-up. Death, hip fractures, ADL disability, and hospitalizations were ascertained during an average of 5.9 years of follow-up.

RESULTS

Baseline frailty was classified in 16.3% of participants, and incident frailty at 3-years was 14.8%. Older age, chronic conditions, smoking, and depressive symptom score were positively associated with incident frailty, whereas income, moderate alcohol use, living alone, and self-reported health were inversely associated. Being underweight, overweight, or obese all carried significantly higher risk of frailty than normal weight. Baseline frailty independently predicted risk of death (hazard ratio (HR)=1.71, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.48-1.97), hip fracture (HR=1.57, 95% CI=1.11-2.20), ADL disability (odds ratio (OR)=3.15, 95% CI=2.47-4.02), and hospitalizations (OR=1.95, 95% CI=1.72-2.22) after adjustment for demographic characteristics, health behaviors, disability, and comorbid conditions.

CONCLUSION

These results support the robustness of the concept of frailty as a geriatric syndrome that predicts several poor outcomes in older women. Underweight, obesity, smoking, and depressive symptoms are strongly associated with the development of frailty and represent important targets for prevention.