Physical, cognitive, and mental function in people with sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the physical, cognitive, and mental function in people with sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity. Eighty-seven older individuals participated in this study, and were divided into four groups (sarcopenia group, sarcopenic obesity group, obesity group, control group) according to hand grip strength, gait speed,and skeletal muscle mass. We compared their physical (hand grip strength, gait speed, instrumental activity of daily living), cognitive (Mini-Mental State Examination), and mental function (5-item geriatric depression scale, health related quality of life), adjusted by age. Results showed that compared with the control group, the sarcopenia group had weaker hand grip strength, the sarcopenic obesity group had many depressed participants, and the obesity group had poor physical health-related quality of life. This study revealed that sarcopenic obesity, which involves lower muscle strength, muscle mass decrease, and body fat increase, affects not only physical function, but also mental function. Therefore, a multi-domain intervention may be required to prevent an increase in the number of frail elderly.