title: Association between the nutritional status and the severity of sarcopenia among community-dwelling elderly Japanese people.
abstract: To investigate the association between nutritional evaluation indices (body mass index, albumin, and weight loss) and sarcopenia severity among community-dwelling elderly people in Japan.
  
  
  
  The subjects consisted of 758 community-dwelling elderly people ≥65 years of age, categorized into two groups by based on Operation of long life medical care system (medical care system for elderly in the latter stage of life), the cut-off value for age used was 75. The outcome measures were basic characteristics, anthropometric measures, physical function, and blood biochemistry (five assessments). The appendicular skeletal muscle mass was calculated via a bioelectrical impedance analysis. The subjects were categorized into three groups by the body mass index (BMI) [BMI 3 group]. The cut-off value for albumin used was 3.8 g/dL [A1b 2 group]. Weight loss was assessed using item 11 on the Kihon check list: "Have you experienced more than 2-3 kg weight loss over the past 6 months? Yes=1, No=0." [weight loss 2 group]. Sarcopenia was defined based on the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People definition, using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia cut-off values. All subjects were then categorized into four groups based on their sarcopenia status: non-sarcopenic (non-), pre-sarcopenic (pre-), sarcopenic (sarco-), or severely sarcopenic (severe-) [sarco4 group].
  
  
  
  The prevalence of sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia in men was 5.6% (n=18) and 1.2% (n=4), respectively, and in women was 7.8% (n=34) and 1.6% (n=7), respectively. The analysis showed that, among the people (>75 years of age) with normal BMI (18.5-25.0), 10.4%-15.6% were in the Sarco group. Further, among women over 75 years of age with BMI >25.0, 5.7% (n=2) were in the Sarco group. There was a significant association between weight loss and sarcopenia severity in older men. No significant association between albumin levels and sarcopenia severity was observed. 80.0% of weight-loss was presented in above BMI 18.5 kg/m2 and Alb 3.8 g/dL.
  
  
  
  Sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia were prevalent among those with normal BMI, and particularly among obese women over 75 years of age. Weight-loss was presented in above BMI 18.5 kg/m2 and Alb 3.8 g/dL. Our findings indicate that the nutritional evaluation indices, including BMI, albumin, and weight loss, were insufficient in screening for malnutrition and sarcopenia among the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology.
authors.forename: Satsuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Komai
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Hunkyung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Edahiro
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: Hideyo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Obuchi
authors.forename: Yayoi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Hirohiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirano
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000150:complications*