Sarcopenic Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease: An Overlooked but High-Risk Syndrome

Sarcopenic obesity (SO), defined as the coexistence of excess fat mass and reduced skeletal muscle mass and strength, has emerged as an important cardiovascular risk factor, particularly in older adults. This review summarizes recent findings on the diagnosis, prevalence, health impacts, and treatment of SO.

Growing evidence suggests SO exacerbates cardiometabolic risk and adverse health outcomes beyond either condition alone; however, the heterogeneity in diagnostic criteria and the observational nature of most studies prohibit the evaluation of a causal relationship. This is concerning given that SO is increasing with the aging population, although that is also difficult to assess accurately given wide-ranging prevalence estimates. A recent consensus definition proposed by the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism and the European Association for the Study of Obesity provides a framework of standardized criteria to diagnose SO. Adopting uniform diagnostic criteria for SO will enable more accurate characterization of prevalence and cardiometabolic risk moving forward. Although current management revolves around diet for weight loss coupled with resistance training to mitigate further muscle loss, emerging pharmacologic therapies have shown promising results. As the global population ages, diagnosing and managing SO will become imperative to alleviate the cardiovascular burden.