Associations between body mass index, mid-arm circumference, calf circumference, and functional ability over time in an elderly Taiwanese population

The accuracy of body mass index and calf circumference values when assessing sarcopenia in a multi-ethnic cohort of middle-aged and older adults: West China health and aging trend study results

Objective

This analysis was designed to explore the utility of body mass index (BMI) and calf circumference (CC) values in the diagnosis of sarcopenia.

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis of community-dwelling adults ≥50 years old was conducted. An InBody 770 bioimpedance analysis (BIA) device was used for measuring muscle mass, a grip-strength dynamometer was used to assess muscle strength, and a 4 m gait speed (GS) analysis was used to gauge physical function. The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 criteria were used to define sarcopenia. The cut-off values for BMI and CC were based on the computed Younden's index values and AWGS 2019 criteria, respectively. The area under the ROC curves (AUC), specificity, sensitivity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) were calculated to establish the value of BMI and CC for the diagnosis of sarcopenia.

Results

In total, the data of 4177 participants ≥50 years of age were analyzed. These included 2668 (63.9%) females and 1509 (36.1%) males. Of these participants, 946 (22.6%) met the criteria for sarcopenia, including 408 (27%) males and 538 (20.2%) females. The sensitivity, specificity, and NPVs obtained when using BMI and CC values to predict sarcopenia were as follows: 84.03%/65.51%/0.90 and 74.76%/83.51%/0.87, respectively, in males; 87.36%/64.12%/0.94 and 78.25%/82.09%/0.93, in females. The respective AUC values for BMI and CC in males were 0.83 (0.80-0.85) and 0.85 (0.83-0.88), while in females they were 0.85 (0.83-0.87) and 0.88 (0.87-0.90).

Conclusions

These data suggest that BMI and CC can both serve as accurate predictors of sarcopenic incidence in a multi-ethnic population ≥50 years of age. The specificity values for BMI were relatively low in both males and females, however, underscoring the relative advantages of measuring CC when assessing individual sarcopenia risk.

The relationship between physical activity trajectories and frailty: a 20-year prospective cohort among community-dwelling older people

Background

Studies on examining the relationship between physical activity patterns and frailty are lacking. This study examined physical activity patterns in older people and investigated the relationship between physical activity and frailty as well as identifying the predictors of frailty.

Methods

We used a nationally representative longitudinal database, the Taiwan Longitudinal Study of Aging (TLSA) database, and data for a 20-year period were extracted and analyzed. A total of 5131 participants aged ≥ 60 years in 1996 were included in the current analysis. Information regarding demographic characteristics, frailty, physical activity, comorbidities, oral health, and depressive symptoms was extracted from the TLSA database. Physical activity patterns were examined using group-based trajectory modeling from 1996 to 2015. Potential predictors were examined by performing multivariate logistic regression.

Results

Four trajectories of the physical activity pattern were found: consistently physically inactive (33.7%), consistently physically active (21.5%), incline (21.6%), and decline (23.2%). Throughout the period, the trajectories of the four groups significantly differed from each other at year 2015, with the incline and decline groups exhibiting the lowest and highest frailty scores, respectively (p < 0.001). Older age, male, poor oral health, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and depressive symptoms were identified as risk factors for frailty.

Conclusion

Physical activity reduces the risk of chronic conditions, which contributes to healthy longevity. This study can guide the development of future research and interventions to manage frailty in older people, particularly in considering previous physical activity trajectories within the life course.

A Nutritionally Complete Oral Nutritional Supplement Powder Improved Nutritional Outcomes in Free-Living Adults at Risk of Malnutrition: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effectiveness of an oral nutritional supplement (ONS) on nutrition-related outcomes over 12 weeks in Chinese adults with or at risk of malnutrition.

METHODS

88 Chinese adults ≥18 years living independently in Hong Kong with Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) score ≤11 were randomly assigned to (1) 2 servings/day of nutritionally complete ONS powder made with water (Fresubin^® Powder (Fresubin Kabi Deutschland GmbH, Bad Homburg, Germany), 600 kcal, 22.4 g protein) for 12 weeks (intervention group) or (2) no treatment (control group). The primary outcome was increase in body weight (BW) over 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes included improvement in body mass index (BMI), mid-arm circumference (MAC), calf circumference, MNA-SF score, quality of life, self-rated health, frailty, and diet quality.

RESULTS

The intervention group showed a significantly higher mean increase in BW compared with the control group (1.381 kg, intervention vs control, p < 0.001). The intervention group also showed significantly higher mean increases in BMI, MAC, calf circumference, intake of energy, protein, vitamin D, and calcium compared with the control group. No group differences in the changes of other outcomes were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

For Chinese free-living adults at risk of malnutrition, daily consumption of a nutritionally complete ONS powder improved nutritional outcomes compared with the control group.

Phase Angle and Handgrip Strength as a Predictor of Disease-Related Malnutrition in Admitted Patients: 12-Month Mortality

Background: Phase Angle (PhA) value measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) could be considered a good marker of the patient’s cell mass and cellular damage. Various studies have shown that the value of PhA is associated with an increased nutritional risk in several pathologies. However, not many studies have focused on the use of PhA as a screening tool in admitted patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prognostic value of PhA to determine disease-related malnutrition (DRM) and the risk that this entails for mortality and length of stay (LOS). Methods: 570 patients admitted to the hospital for different causes were included in this retrospective observational study. Patients’ nutritional risk was assessed by screening tests such as the Malnutrition Universal Screening tool (MUST) and Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), in addition to non-invasive functional techniques, such as BIA and handgrip strength (HGS), 24−48 h after admission. After performing an SGA as the gold standard to assess malnutrition, PhA and SPhA values were used to determine DRM. Furthermore, both samples: malnutrition status (MS) and non-malnutrition status (NMS) were compared, with SphA-Malnutrition corresponding to a diagnosis of malnutrition. Statistical analysis of the sample was conducted with JAMOVI version 2.2.2. Results: Patients with MS had lower PhA and SPhA than patients with NMS (p < 0.001). The ROC curve analysis (AUC = 0.81) showed a cut-off point for MS for PhA = 5.4° (sensitivity 77.51% and specificity 74.07%) and AUC = 0.776 with a cut-off point for SPhA = −0.3 (sensitivity 81.74% and specificity 63.53%). Handgrip strength (HGS) was also observed to be a good predictor in hospitalized patients. Carrying out a comparative analysis between MS and NMS, length of stay (LOS) was 9.0 days in MS vs. 5.0 days in NMS patients (OR 1.07 (1.04−1.09, p < 0.001)). A low SPhA-malnutrition value (SPhA < −0.3) was significantly associated with a higher mortality hazards ratio (HR 7.87, 95% CI 2.56−24.24, p < 0.001). Conclusion: PhA, SPhA and HGS are shown to be good prognostic markers of DRM, LOS and mortality and could therefore be useful screening tools to complement the nutritional assessment of admitted patients.

Association between body mass index, multi-morbidity and activities of daily living among New Zealand nursing home older adults: a retrospective analysis of nationwide InterRAI data

Background

Obesity is a well-established risk factor for multi-morbidity and disability among older adults in the community and acute care settings. However, nursing home residents with body mass index (BMI) below 18.5 kg/m² and above 25.0 kg/m² have been understudied. We examined the prevalence of multi-morbidity and disability in activities of daily living (ADL) by BMI category and further investigated the association between BMI, multi-morbidity, and disability of ADL in a large cohort of older adults in nursing homes in New Zealand.

Methods

A retrospective review of nursing home residents’ data obtained from the New Zealand International Resident Assessment Instrument national dataset from 2015 to 2018. One hundred ninety-eight thousand seven hundred ninety older adults (≥60 years) living in nursing homes were included. BMI was calculated as weight in kilograms (kg) divided by height in meters squared (m²). Multimorbidity was defined as the presence of ≥2 health conditions. The risk of disability was measured by a 4-item ADL self-performance scale. The prevalence ratio (PR) of the association between BMI and multi-morbidity and between BMI and disability in ADL was assessed using Poisson regression with robust variance.

Results

Of the 198,790 residents, 10.6, 26.6, 11.3 and 5.4% were underweight, overweight, obese, and extremely obese, respectively. 26.4, 31.3 and 21.3% had one, two and three disease conditions, respectively, while 14.3% had four or more conditions. 24.1% could perform only one ADL, and 16.1% could perform none. The prevalence of multi-morbidity increased with increasing BMI, whereas mean disability in ADL decreased with increasing BMI. The risk of multi-morbidity was higher for the overweight (PR, 95%CI: 1.03, 1.02–1.03) and obese (PR, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.06–1.08) compared to normal weight after controlling for age, sex, ethnicity, and region. BMI was inversely associated with mean ADL; β, 95% CI for overweight (− 0.30, − 0.32, − 0.28) and obese − 0.43, − 0.45, − 0.40 compared to normal weight.

Conclusion

Being underweight was associated with a decline in the performance of ADL in nursing home residents. In contrast, being overweight and obese positively affected functional performance, demonstrating that the obesity paradox plays an important role in this population. The observed associations highlight areas where detection and management of underweight and healthy aging initiatives may be merited.

Comparison of the Diagnostic Value of SARC-F and Its Three Modified Versions for Screening Sarcopenia in Chinese Community-Dwelling Older Adults

OBJECTIVES

Sarcopenia refers to age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass. SARC-F is a screening tool for sarcopenia with high specificity and relatively good overall diagnostic accuracy but with low sensitivity. This study evaluated the diagnostic utility of SARC-F and its three modified versions (SARC-CalF, SARC-F+AC, and SARC-CalF+AC) for screening sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults.

DESIGN

Diagnostic accuracy study.

SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

We screened sarcopenia of older adults (age ≥ 60 years) in three communities in 2020. The participants' information and anthropometric measurements were collected, respectively.

METHODS

The updated consensuses of AWGS2019 and the EWGSOP2 were applied as the reference standards. we performed sensitivity/specificity analyses and estimated the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of the four scales.

RESULTS

The prevalence of sarcopenia was 26.4% and 12.5% based on the AWGS2019 and EWGSOP2 criteria, respectively. The sensitivities/specificities of SARC-F, SARC-CalF, SARC-F+AC, and SARC-CalF+AC were 12.26%/95.59%, 47.17%/91.53%, 82.08%/68.47%, and 75.47%/83.73%, respectively, using the AWGS2019 criteria. Further, the corresponding AUCs of SARC-F, SARC-CalF, SARC-F+AC, and SARC-CalF+AC were 0.650 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.601-0.697), 0.811 (95% CI: 0.769-0.848), 0.801 (95% CI: 0.759-0.839), and 0.848 (95% CI: 0.809-0.881), respectively. Using the EWGSOP2 criteria, the sensitivities/specificities of SARC-F, SARC-CalF, SARC-F+AC, and SARC-CalF+AC were 20.00%/95.44%, 56.00%/86.61%, 70.00%/81.20%, and 80.00%/74.93%, respectively. The AUCs of SARC-F, SARC-CalF, SARC-F+AC, and SARC-CalF+AC were 0.706 (95% CI: 0.659-0.750), 0.799 (95% CI: 0.756-0.837), 0.815 (95% CI: 0.774-0.852), and 0.834 (95% CI: 0.794-0.869), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The modified versions of SARC-F+AC and SARC-CalF+AC, which have superior sensitivity, can be used to screen sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults. SARC-CalF+AC had the highest overall diagnostic accuracy for screening sarcopenia among community-dwelling older adults.

Prevalence and Potential Predictors of Frailty among Community-Dwelling Older Persons in Northern Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of frailty among Thai older persons. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative sample of 1806 older persons aged 60 years or older. Frailty was assessed by Fried’s frailty phenotypes, which consists of five criteria, namely, unintended weight loss, exhaustion, slow walking, weak handgrip and decreased physical activity. Older people who met 3 in 5, 1–2 in 5, and none of the criteria were considered frail, pre-frail and non-frail respectively. The prevalence was calculated and multinomial logistic regression was performed. Prevalence rates of frailty, pre-frailty and non-frailty were 13.9% (95% CI 9.9 to 18.8), 50.9% (95% CI 47.5 to 54.1) and 35.1% (95% CI 31.5 to 39.9), respectively. Increasing age, lower education, having no spouse, poorer health perception, increasing number of comorbidities, osteoarthritis and smaller mid-arm circumference increased the risk of frailty (p < 0.001). The prevalence of geriatric frailty syndrome in this study was much higher than that of developed countries but was lower than that of less developed countries. Factors associated with frailty reflect common characteristics of disadvantaged older persons in Thailand.

Vitamin D as a Biomarker of Ill Health among the Over-50s: A Systematic Review of Cohort Studies

Background: The association between circulating levels of vitamin D and the incidence of chronic diseases is known. The identification of vitamin D as a biomarker of physiological/pathological ageing could contribute to expanding current knowledge of its involvement in healthy ageing. Methods: According to PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review was conducted on cohorts studying the role of 25OH-Vitamin D [25(OH)D] and 1,25(OH)₂-Vitamin D [1,25(OH)₂D] concentrations as biomarkers of healthy ageing. We consulted MedLine, Scopus, and Web of Science to search for studies on the association between vitamin D status in populations of originally healthy adults, and outcomes of longevity, illness, and physical and cognitive functionality. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa scale. Results: Twenty cohorts from 24 articles were selected for this review. Inverse associations were found between low 25(OH)D levels and all-cause mortality, respiratory and cardiovascular events, as well as markers relating to hip and non-vertebral fractures. Associations between 1,25(OH)₂D and healthy ageing outcomes gave similar results, although of lower clinical significance. Conclusions: This systematic review pinpoints peculiar aspects of vitamin D as a multidimensional predictor of ill health in the ageing process. Further well-designed controlled trials to investigate whether vitamin D supplement results in superior outcomes are warranted in the future.

Calf Circumference Is a Useful Index for Assessing Dysphagia among Community Dwelling Elderly Recipients of Long-Term Care

Dysphagia is a common problem among older adults, causing aspiration pneumonia and malnutrition. It has been reported that calf circumference (CC), an index of nutritional status and physical activity, correlated with dysphagia in acute care hospitals, suggesting that CC can be a useful index for assessing dysphagia. We therefore aimed to explore the association between dysphagia and CC among community elderly people who require long-term care and determined the optimal CC cut-off value for patients with dysphagia. Our cross-sectional study, conducted at Tokyo Metropolis, included 154 participants (65 men) aged > 65 years (mean age: 80.1 ± 7.1) who required long-term care and were examined for dental disease and dysphagia during home visiting treatment. Age, body mass index (BMI), mini-nutritional assessment short-form (MNA-SF) score, Barthel index (BI), CC, functional oral intake scale (FOIS), and dysphagia severity scale (DSS) were evaluated. A DSS score < 5 was defined as dysphagia. To determine the association between CC and dysphagia, we performed logistic regression analysis and calculated the CC cut-off value for dysphagia. Thirty-seven participants (24.0%) were diagnosed with dysphagia. The logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of dysphagia was independently associated with CC after adjusting for age and sex. The CC cut-off value for the presence of dysphagia was 31.0 cm in men (sensitivity, 0.818; specificity, 0.868) and 29.3 cm in women (sensitivity, 0.760; specificity, 0.859). CC is a useful index for assessing dysphagia among community dwelling individuals who require long-term care.

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Background:

Average life expectancy increases year after year throughout the world. The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) test is one of the most extensively applied tools for identifying the nutritional risks in elderly people. Here, we assess the nutritional status of elderlies accommodated in nursing homes by the MNA-SF test.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study of 773 elderly individuals living in nursing homes was conducted to evaluate their nutritional status, using the mini nutritional assessment questionnaire (MNA-SF), in Turkey.

Results:

In this cross-sectional study, 773 elderly individuals were included. Of these, 404 (52.27%) were men and 369 (47.73%) women. Of all subjects, 8.4% were malnourished, 37% at risk of malnutrition, and 54.6% well nourished. In terms of frequency of subjects at risk of malnutrition (43.6% in women and 30.9% in men) and well-nourished (47.2% in women and 61.4% in men), there was a statistically significant difference between women and men (p<0.001). The results showed that 80% and 58.5% of individuals with malnutrition had a sharp or moderate reduction in food intakes, respectively, and their weight loss was greater than three kg in the last three months. This difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). Regression results indicated that the lower MNA-score was independently associated with higher age (r=-0.2). Moreover, the MNA-score had a significant positive correlation with weight (r=0.42), BMI (r=0.34), MACs (r=0.33) and CCs (r=0.32) (P<0.001).

Conclusion:

This study reveals that nursing home residents are at increased risk of malnutrition, and this problem is associated with weight loss, increased drug use, health status, and decline in physical activity and food intake.

Association of Anthropometric and Nutrition Status Indicators with Hand Grip Strength and Gait Speed in Older Adults

BACKGROUND

How nutrition status indicators relate to function in older adults is an issue that needs to be explored. This study aimed to quantify the associations of anthropometric parameters and nutrition status indicators with hand grip strength (HGS) and gait speed (GS) in older adults.

METHODS

A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in a population-based sample of 1500 older adults ≥65 years old. Logistic regression models were used to explore the associations between anthropometric, nutrition, and functional measures.

RESULTS

Lower values of height, mid-arm muscle circumference, and calf circumference, as well as higher values of waist circumference, were associated with both low GS and HGS. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for low GS was around 2-fold higher in participants presenting risk for undernutrition or undernutrition. The adjusted OR (95% confidence interval) for low HGS was 1.54 (1.01-2.36) in women and 1.57 (0.91-2.72) in men at risk for undernutrition/undernutrition.

CONCLUSIONS

In older adults, lower values of height and calf circumference, as well as higher waist circumference, were associated with both low GS and HGS. Lower values of mid-arm muscle circumference were also associated with low values of both functional parameters only in men. The risk for undernutrition/undernutrition was more strongly associated with low GS than with low HGS in both women and men.

What is the impact of the European Consensus on the diagnosis and prevalence of sarcopenia among institutionalized elderly persons?

Abstract Objective: To verify the impact of the European Consensus on the diagnosis and prevalence of sarcopenia among institutionalized elderly persons in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Method: 219 elderly persons (≥60 years) of both genders were recruited for the study. Two criteria were initially used to calculate the prevalence of sarcopenia: criterion A, based on the European Consensus, considering only elderly persons with good physical and cognitive conditions and criterion B, considering all elderly individuals, regardless of their physical and/or cognitive condition. The association between sarcopenia and gender, age and body mass index (BMI) in the two groups was investigated using the chi-square test and the Student's t-test, with a significance level of 5%. Result: the diagnosis of sarcopenia according to Criterion A revealed a prevalence of 32% (95% CI: 22.54-43.21), whereas Criterion B identified a prevalence of 63.2% (95% CI: 56; 45-69,13). Despite the difference in the prevalence of sarcopenia using the two criteria employed (p<0.001), no differences were observed in terms of the association with gender (p=0.149, p=0.212), BMI (p<0.001, p<0.001), and age (p=0.904, p=353). Conclusion: including only elderly people with good physical and cognitive abilities to calculate sarcopenia, based on the European Consensus, underestimates the prevalence of this condition among institutionalized elderly. As elderly persons with physical or cognitive limitations are extremely typical in the population of care facilities and increased diagnostic calculation for sarcopenia did not interfere with the distribution of associated factors, it is recommended that these individuals are considered in the basis of calculation for future studies of the diagnosis and prevalence of sarcopenia.

Upper and lower limbs composition: a comparison between anthropometry and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in healthy people

The detection of changes in lean mass (LM) distribution can help to prevent disability. This study assessed the degree of association between anthropometric measurements and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) body composition (BC) parameters of the upper and lower limbs in a healthy general population and collected DXA age- and sex-specific values of BC that can be useful to build a reference standard.

PURPOSE

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of some widely available anthropometric measurements in the assessment of body composition (BC) at the limbs, especially in terms of muscle mass, in a large sample of healthy subjects of different age bands and sex, using fat mass (FM) and lean mass (LM) parameters derived by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as the gold standard. The secondary aim was to collect DXA age- and sex-specific values of BC of left and right limbs (upper and lower) in a healthy Italian population to be used as reference standards.

METHODS

Two hundred fifty healthy volunteers were enrolled. Arm circumference (AC) and thigh circumference (ThC) were measured, and total and regional BC parameters were obtained by a whole-body DXA scan (Lunar iDXA, Madison, WI, USA; enCORE™ 2011 software version 13.6).

RESULTS

FM/LM showed only fair correlation with AC and ThC in females (r = 0.649 and 0.532, respectively); in males and in the total population, the correlation was low (r = 0.360 or lower, and p non-statistically significant). AC and ThC were not well representative of arms LM in both genders (females r = 0.452, males r = 0.530) independently of age. In general, men of all age groups showed higher values of LM and lean mass index (LMI) in both total and segmental upper and lower limbs. In males, the maximum LM and LMI were achieved in the fifth decade in both upper and lower limbs and then started to decrease with aging. In females, no significant modification with aging was identified in LM and LMI.

CONCLUSION

According to our results, anthropometry is not well representative of LM of arms in both genders, independently of age; therefore, a densitometric examination should be considered for a correct assessment of BC at limbs.