Differences in sarcopenia status and mortality according to physical activity: results from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA)

Ga Yang Shim; Hak Chul Jang; Ki-Woong Kim; Jae-Young Lim

doi:10.1007/s41999-024-00954-7

Differences in sarcopenia status and mortality according to physical activity: results from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA)

Eur Geriatr Med. 2024 Mar 14. doi: 10.1007/s41999-024-00954-7. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Ga Yang Shim¹, Hak Chul Jang², Ki-Woong Kim³, Jae-Young Lim⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-Si, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-Si, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 82 Gumi-ro 173 Beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 13620, Republic of Korea. drlim1@snu.ac.kr.

PMID: 38483774
DOI: 10.1007/s41999-024-00954-7

Abstract

Purpose: There is increasing evidence that promoting physical activity can prevent sarcopenia. However, physical activity (PA) decreases with age, and the impact of PA intensity on health is unclear. This study investigated the relationship between the level of PA and sarcopenia, and the association between PA levels and mortality in patients with and without sarcopenia.

Methods: Data were derived from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging. PA was classified as sedentary behavior, light PA, or moderate-to-vigorous PA. Each PA level was subdivided based on the median time spent engaged in that activity, yielding eight PA profiles. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models were used to investigate the association between PA level and sarcopenia, and between PA profiles and mortality.

Results: This study included 620 participants (50.2% women; mean age 75.7 ± 7.5 years), of whom 130 (21.0%) participants were identified sarcopenia. During follow-up (mean 10.9 ± 4.1 years), 264 (42.6%) participants died. Overall, sarcopenic participants were less physically active than non-sarcopenic participants. After multivariate adjustment, more sedentary behavior and less moderate-to-vigorous PA were associated with sarcopenia and all related variables, except muscle mass. Compared with the reference, non-sarcopenic participants with lower sedentary behavior and concomitantly higher moderate-to-vigorous PA had significantly lower hazard ratios for mortality, while higher light PA reduced mortality in sarcopenic participants regardless of time spent engaged in sedentary behavior or moderate-to-vigorous PA.

Conclusions: PA, especially sedentary behavior and moderate-to-vigorous PA, was associated with sarcopenia and related variables, but the level of PA that prevented death differed according to sarcopenia status. Our findings may help determine the optimal intensity and amount of PA.

Keywords: AWGS 2019; KLoSHA; Mortality; Physical activity; Sarcopenia.

Abstract

Grants and funding