The Prevalence of Obesity-Associated Loss of Lean Muscle Mass

Sarcopenia, originally defined as age-related low muscle mass and function, has also been used to describe the loss of muscle mass and quality among certain populations, such as sarcopenic obesity (SO) . SO refers to loss of muscle and function in obese subjects; however, given age is not a factor in SO, we classified SO as obesity with low lean muscle mass (OLLMM) . Given the paucity of data in OLLMM, the purpose was to describe the prevalence of OLLMM in the US. Data from NHANES 2017-2018 were used to estimate the prevalence of OLLMM in adults ≥20 yrs of age. OLLMM was defined as DEXA-assessed low appendicular lean mass, adjusted for BMI (men <0.789, women <0.512) and obesity (body fat%: men >25%, women >35%) . Since DEXA was only measured in those aged 20-59 in NHANES 2017-2018, we utilized logistic regression models to predict OLLMM from NHANES 1999-20for those ≥60 yrs. The prevalence of OLLMM was estimated overall, by sex, age group, and diabetes status (prediabetes and T2DM) . We extrapolated results to the US using NHANES sampling weights. Of the 4174 adults (representing 181M US adults) , we identified 827 (28.8M, 15.9% of the US pop.) with OLLMM. Older adults had higher prevalence of OLLMM as did those with prediabetes and T2DM (Figure 1) . The prevalence of OLLMM in the US is high. While the prevalence of OLLMM was higher with age, its prevalence was also high in diabetics, regardless of age. Clinicians should monitor for OLLMM among obese T2DM patients. Disclosure D.J. Murdock: Employee; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock/Shareholder; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. N. Wu: Employee; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock/Shareholder; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. D.J. Glass: Employee; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock/Shareholder; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. J.S. Grimsby: Employee; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock/Shareholder; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. R.A. Calle: Employee; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock/Shareholder; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. S. Donahue: Employee; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock/Shareholder; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. M. Sleeman: Employee; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock/Shareholder; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. R.J. Sanchez: Employee; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock/Shareholder; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Funding Supported by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.