[이데일리 이순용 기자] A research result came out in Korea, if a man is in sarcopenic obesity, it should be considered a red sign of arteriosclerosis. The risk of heart disease in women was higher with obesity than with sarcopenia.
According to the Korea Food Communication Forum on the 30th, Professor Hyunmin Koh’s Samsung Changwon Hospital Family Medicine team tested obesity, sarcopenia, and sarcopenia in 7,177 examinees who visited a health promotion center at a university hospital between July 2019 and December 2020. As a result to analyze the relationship between the risk of atherosclerosis and atherosclerosis, revealed that. The results of this study (correlation between body composition and arterial stiffness in Korean adults) were published in a recent issue of the Korean Journal of Family Medicine.
Professor Koh’s team divided the study subjects into four groups: normal, sarcopenia, obese, and sarcopenic obese. The proportion of men who exercised regularly was highest in the normal group, at 46.1%, and low in the sarcopenia group (26.5%) and the sarcopenic obesity group (25.6%). The TyG index, an indicator of insulin resistance (a risk factor for diabetes), was higher in obese men (8.9) than in sarcopenic men (8.4). hs-CRP, a predictive indicator of cardiovascular disease, was measured highest in sarcopenic obese men (higher means greater risk of cardiovascular disease).
The proportion of women who exercised regularly was the highest in the usual group, at 38.9%. The sarcopenic obesity group (20.0%) was the lowest. Unlike men, hs-CRP, a predictor of cardiovascular disease in women, was higher in obese women than in sarcopenic obese women.
Professor Koh’s team measured brachial-ankle pulse wave propagation velocity (baPWV) to reveal differences in arterial stiffness between groups. A high baPWV value indicates a high risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease. In both men and women, the sarcopenic obesity group had the highest baPWV value. In men, the baPWV value of the sarcopenic obesity group recorded the highest value, at 14.9 m/s. In women, the baPWV value of the obese group was 12.9 m/s, similar to the value of the sarcopenic obese group (12.8 m).
Body composition changes dramatically with age. Body fat, especially visceral fat, increases, and muscle mass decreases. Sarcopenia refers to the loss of muscle mass and strength associated with aging. Obesity is a problem along with sarcopenia. Among them, visceral obesity is known to be associated with metabolic diseases such as hypertension, insulin resistance, diabetes, and dyslipidemia.
In the thesis, Professor Koh’s team noted that “sarcopenic obesity is defined as a combination of sarcopenia and obesity” and “many studies have shown that the synergistic effect of obesity and sarcopenia increases the risk of metabolic or cardiovascular diseases. ”
Arterial stiffness refers to the amount of stiffness according to the reduction in the elasticity of arteries, that is, stiffness. Arterial stiffness is known to increase with age, and this is due to changes in the arterial wall tissue and a decrease in elasticity due to ageing. Diseases such as high blood pressure, heart failure, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, smoking and obesity can increase arterial stiffness.
In the thesis, Professor Koh’s team said, “The reason why sarcopenic obesity accelerates arteriosclerosis is due to complex causes such as increased insulin resistance, increased inflammatory cytokines produced by fat cells, and decreased myokines derived from muscle cells.” “Insulin resistance was found to correlate with baPWV,” he explained.
