Indicators predicting the development and improvement of sarcopenia in older adults requiring long-term care.
Ryo Sato, Yohei Sawaya, Takahiro Shiba and 3 others
PMID 36866017WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults in Japanese daycare rehabilitation who were at risk of malnutrition or had smaller calf circumference were more often found to develop sarcopenia or fail to improve over six months.
Nutrition screening and calf checks may help flag risk.
Key findings
01Of the 54 participants without sarcopenia at baseline, 7 developed sarcopenia; those who developed it had significantly higher malnutrition risk and lower calf circumference at baseline.
02Of the 64 participants with sarcopenia at baseline, 7 improved; improvement was associated with significantly lower malnutrition risk, higher calf circumference, and higher skeletal muscle mass index at baseline.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, with only 7 of 54 participants developing sarcopenia and only 7 of 64 improving. Age, comorbidities and other potential confounders were not included in multiple logistic analysis. Participants had to be able to stand, walk, understand instructions and repeat measurements, so findings may not apply to more disabled or non-ambulatory older adults. This was an observational cohort without an intervention, so it cannot show that changing nutrition or calf circumference caused sarcopenia to develop or improve.
Declared interests
This work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (grant numbers 20K07789 and 22K17539). The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treating malnutrition or making calf circumference larger will prevent or improve sarcopenia. This study observed baseline associations in a cohort; it did not test an intervention.