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  • Longitudinal study of muscl...
    Delmonico, Matthew J; Harris, Tamara B; Visser, Marjolein; Park, Seok Won; Conroy, Molly B; Velasquez-Mieyer, Pedro; Boudreau, Robert; Manini, Todd M; Nevitt, Michael; Newman, Anne B; Goodpaster, Bret H

    The American journal of clinical nutrition, 12/2009, Volume: 90, Issue: 6
    Journal Article

    BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is thought to be accompanied by increased muscle fat infiltration. However, no longitudinal studies have examined concomitant changes in muscle mass, strength, or fat infiltration in older adults. OBJECTIVE: We present longitudinal data on age-related changes in leg composition, strength, and muscle quality (MQ) in ambulatory, well-functioning men and women. We hypothesized that muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and strength would decrease and muscular fat infiltration would increase over 5 y. DESIGN: Midthigh muscle, subcutaneous fat (SF), and intermuscular fat (IMF) CSAs and isokinetic leg muscle torque (MT) and MQ (MT/quadriceps CSA) were examined over 5 y in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study cohort (n = 1678). RESULTS: Men experienced a 16.1% loss of MT, whereas women experienced a 13.4% loss. Adjusted annualized decreases in MT were 2-5 times greater than the loss of muscle CSA in those who lost weight and in those who remained weight-stable. Weight gain did not prevent the loss of MT, despite a small increase in muscle CSA. Only those who gained weight had an increase in SF (P < 0.001), whereas those who lost weight also lost SF (P < 0.001). There was an age-related increase in IMF in men and women (P < 0.001), and IMF increased in those who lost weight, gained weight, or remained weight-stable (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Loss of leg MT in older adults is greater than muscle CSA loss, which suggests a decrease in MQ. Additionally, aging is associated with an increase in IMF regardless of changes in weight or SF.