Association between changes in physical activity and sarcopenia risk in middle-aged and older adults

This study aimed to determine the longitudinal relationship between the changes in physical activity in middle-aged and older persons and sarcopenia risk utilizing data from a nationally representative population in China.

This study included 2831 participants (44.5 % men, 55.5 % women, mean age 61.86 ± 9.33 years). Participants were divided into active to active (A-A, n = 1367), inactive to active (I-A, n = 455), active to inactive (A-I, n = 553), and inactive to inactive (I-I, n = 456) groups based on changes in physical activity between 2011 and 2015. Sarcopenia and sarcopenia risk indicators were determined using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 consensus. One-way analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between the changes in physical activity and sarcopenia risk.

Handgrip strength tended to have a significant difference, and walking speed and 5-time chair stand test had significant differences among the A-A, I-A, A-I, and I-I groups (all p < 0.05). Compared to the I-I group, the likelihood of sarcopenia was lower in the A-A (OR: 0.65, 95 % CI: 0.52-0.81) and I-A (OR: 0.67, 95 % CI: 0.51-0.87) groups, the likelihood of poor muscle strength was lower in the A-A (OR: 0.61, 95 % CI: 0.50-0.76) and I-A (OR: 0.65, 95 % CI: 0.50-0.83) groups, and the rate of low physical performance was lower in the A-A (OR: 0.33, 95 % CI: 0.26-0.41), I-A (OR: 0.38, 95 % CI: 0.29-0.50) and A-I (OR: 0.55, 95 % CI: 0.43-0.71) groups after controlling for covariates.

Middle-aged and older people who remain or become physically active have a lower risk of sarcopenia, poor muscle strength, and low physical performance. Conversely, those who stop being physically active have a higher risk of sarcopenia, poor muscle strength, and low physical performance.