The accumulation of abdominal fat associated with muscle mass loss — a condition known as sarcopenic obesity — increases the risk of death by more than 80 percent compared to people who do not have these two conditions combined. The conclusion comes from a study by the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), in São Paulo, in partnership with University College London, in the United Kingdom.
Abdominal obesity, experts say, can be defined as an abdominal circumference greater than 102 centimeters for men and 88 centimeters for women. The muscle condition, in turn, is verified through a skeletal muscle mass index.
One of the researchers, Professor Valdete Regina Guandalini, from the university’s Gerontology Department, explained that sarcopenic obesity is also related to advanced age, particularly to loss of autonomy and decline in quality of life in that age group.
Although muscle loss is normal after 40 years, she highlighted, some things can make it happen faster or slower.
“Your exercise routine, eating and sleep habits, as well as alcohol and tobacco use, can all influence the speed at which this happens,” she stated.
She noted that healthy habits reduce the incidence of sarcopenic obesity, citing other study data, such as a 40 percent reduction in the risk of death among those with low muscle mass but without abdominal obesity. This is also observed in individuals with abdominal obesity but adequate muscle mass.
Source: Agência Brasil