Sarcopenic obesity is not associated with sexual dysfunction in older adults: a cross-sectional study

This study aimed to investigate the frequency of sexual dysfunction (SD) and the association between SD and body composition abnormalities, such as sarcopenia, obesity, and sarcopenic obesity.

Older adults (≥65 years) were included. Sarcopenic obesity was diagnosed by using newly defined ESPEN-EASO diagram. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria. Obesity was defined using the fat percentile cut-offs suggested by ESPEN-EASO. SD was determined by Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX).

Two-hundred and sixty-seven volunteers (64.4% female, mean age 73.63 ± 6.22 years) participated in this study. One-hundred seventy-eight individuals (66.7%) had SD. It was present in 83.1% and 36.8% of the females and males, respectively (p < 0.0001). There was no association between SD and sarcopenia alone (OR: 1.359, 95% CI: 0.650-2.838, p = 0.415) or obesity alone (OR: 0.986, 95% CI: 0.543-1.791, p = 0.963). Sarcopenic obesity was significantly associated with SD (OR: 9.116, 95% CI: 1.173-70.851, p = 0.035). However, this significance was lost after the model was adjusted for gender, marital status, and comorbidities (OR: 4.676, 95% CI: 0.578-37.801, p = 0.148).

SD was present in 66.7% of the older adults and was not associated with sarcopenia, obesity, or sarcopenic obesity. Further longitudinal studies are needed on this topic.