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Updated: Apr 23, 2026
Author Spotlight: Decellularization-Based Quantification of Skeletal Muscle Fatty Infiltration
Published on: June 9, 2023
Association of adiposity and muscle quality with physical function differs in young and old women
Rebecca D Larson1, Mark M Misic, Ellen M Evans
1From the 1Department of Health and Exercise Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK; 2Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL; and 3Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
Objective:
This study aims were to investigate whether age differentially impacts the relationships between adiposity, muscle quality (MQ), and lower-extremity physical function in young and older women.
Methods:
Women aged 20 to 30 years (YOUNG group; n = 37) and women aged 64 to 80 years (OLD group; n = 39) were assessed for body composition via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Isokinetic strength at 60 deg/second was assessed on a dynamometer. MQ was calculated as Nm / mineral-free lean mass (kg). Lower-extremity physical function was determined by an up-and-go (UPGO) challenge.
Results:
YOUNG women had lower relative adiposity (%Fat), greater leg lean mass, greater MQ, and faster UPGO time compared with OLD women (all P < 0.01). On linear regression analyses, mineral-free upper leg lean mass was the strongest predictor of UPGO performance in YOUNG women and independently explained 36% of the variance; in OLD women, age and adiposity were the strongest predictors and explained 57% and 40% of the variance, respectively.
Conclusions:
Predictors of lower-extremity physical function differ between young and old women. These findings suggest that body composition and muscle capacity factors associated with function might change across the age span.
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