Evaluation of Beverage Can-opening Status as a Screening Indicator for Sarcopenia: A Cross-sectional Study

This study aimed to examine whether the ability to open a canned beverage can be associated with sarcopenia and to determine whether beverage can-opening status could serve as a simple screening indicator for sarcopenia.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 109 older adults requiring long-term care/support attending daycare rehabilitation services (81.1 ± 6.9 years; 55 men, 54 women). Participants were instructed to open a stay-on-tab beverage can while sitting and were classified into Success or Failure groups according to single-attempt performance. Handgrip strength and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) were measured to diagnose sarcopenia according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2025 criteria. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the associations between sarcopenia, handgrip strength, SMI, and beverage can-opening status after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, Barthel Index, and Charlson Comorbidity Index. Screening performance for the inability to open a can for sarcopenia was evaluated.

The Success and Failure groups comprised 78 and 31 participants, respectively. Can-opening failure was significantly associated with sarcopenia (odds ratio, 4.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-14.1; P = 0.009), and similar associations were observed for low handgrip strength and low SMI. The inability to open a canned beverage demonstrated a moderate discriminatory ability for sarcopenia (area under the curve, 0.62; sensitivity, 42.2%; specificity, 81.3%; P = 0.038).

Beverage can-opening status may reflect sarcopenia status. Difficulty in opening cans, an everyday sign readily noticed by individuals and family members, may facilitate early detection of sarcopenia without specialized measurements.