Fat mass to fat-free mass ratio, a new measure of sarcopenic obesity

Project Summary

Sarcopenic obesity is a progressive geriatric syndrome characterized by decreasing muscle mass and function with age. It is associated with a wide range of adverse health outcomes such as cognitive impairment, falls, depression, and metabolic diseases. With the aging population, sarcopenic obesity has emerged as an important public health problem. Currently, there is a lack of consensus on its definition, which is a significant barrier for conducting research in sarcopenic obesity. A new measure of sarcopenic obesity, the fat mass to fat-free mass ratio (FM/FFM) has recently been proposed. It is a relative measure that incorporates both muscle and fat parameters and thus is hypothesized to be a more appropriate choice for defining sarcopenic obesity. In this project, we will be looking at its trend grouped by age in the Canadian older adult population, its associations with sarcopenic obesity-related diseases, and factors which may predict FM/FFM trends.