Body composition in French women 75+ years of age: the EPIDOS study.
BACKGROUND
There are presently no published data on age-related changes in body composition in French individuals older than 65 or 80 years. This paper presents a cross-sectional study of 7518 community-residing French women older than 75 years.


METHODS
We examined age differences changes in body composition and anthropometry between age groups (76-80, 81-85, and 86-95 years of age). Whole body composition was estimated using a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanner. Measurements of appendicular skeletal muscle (ASM) mass and sarcopenia were performed for a subsample of 1321 women.


RESULTS
Significant age differences exist in total fat mass and total bone mineral content in elderly women between 76 and 95 years of age. There was also a significant decreased in fat free soft tissue mass from 76 to 85. The decline in fat free mass may be reduced over 85 years of age. The prevalence of low muscle mass, or sarcopenia, increased with age from 8.9 in 76-80 to 10.9% in 86-95 age group, but the difference was not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Interventional programs developed to prevent or reduce sarcopenia would have a better influence on population under 85 years, i.e. when the decline in ASM mass is the most severe. Others longitudinal studies could be performed to confirm our results.
Gillette-Guyonnet
Sophie
S
Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Gerontology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Purpan-Casselardit, 170 avenue de Casselardit, F-31300 Toulouse, France. gillette.s@chu-toulouse.fr
Nourhashemi
Fati
F
Andrieu
Sandrine
S
Cantet
Christelle
C
Albarède
Jean Louis
JL
Vellas
Bruno
B
Grandjean
Hélène
H
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight; D015519:Bone Density; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D002136:Calcium, Dietary; D004044:Dietary Proteins