Journal
AGE AND AGEING
Volume 41, Issue 5, Pages 677-681Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afs087
Keywords
fat mass; fat distribution; lean mass; mortality; dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); older people
Categories
Funding
- Visare Norr
- Swedish Society of Medicine
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Objective: to investigate associations between different aspects of body composition and mortality in older people. Methods: the study population comprised 921 participants aged >= 65 years who underwent dual-energy X-ray (DXA) absorptiometric examination at the Sports Medicine Unit, Umea University. The main reason for admission was clinical suspicion of osteoporosis. Total, abdominal and gynoid fat masses and lean body mass were measured by DXA absorptiometry at baseline, and the cohort was followed (mean duration, 9.2 years) for mortality events. Results: during follow-up, 397 participants died. Lean mass was associated negatively with mortality in men and women (P < 0.001). Total fat mass showed a U-shaped association with mortality in men (P < 0.01) and a negative association in women (P < 0.01). A higher ratio of abdominal to gynoid fat mass increased mortality risk in women (P = 0.04), but not in men (P = 0.91). Conclusions: lean mass is associated strongly with survival in older subjects. Greater fat mass is protective in older women, whereas very low or very high fat mass increases the risk of death in men. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying these associations.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available