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Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity among older adults in the nordic countries: a scoping review.

BMC geriatrics
January 1, 1970
Fereshteh Baygi et al. (5 authors)
Journal ArticleScoping ReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to review the prevalence, risk factors, and interventions for sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in Nordic countries, including the role of nutritional supplements like Vitamin D.

Results Summary

The study found that interventions for sarcopenia included resistance training with or without nutritional supplements like Vitamin D, but the efficacy and specifics of Vitamin D supplementation were not detailed.

Population

Older adults in Nordic countries, including community-dwelling individuals and those with sarcopenia or sarcopenic obesity.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (3)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
resistance training with/without nutritional supplements (e.g., protein, vitamin D)
neutral
sarcopenia
-
-
were mainly focused on
#1
increased levels of physical activity
decrease
sarcopenia
-
-
may reduce the risk of
#2
improved dietary intake
decrease
sarcopenia
-
-
may reduce the risk of
#3
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity (SO) are age-related syndromes that may compromise physical and mental health among older adults. The Nordic countries differ from other regions on prevalence of disease, life-style behavior, and life expectancy, which may impact prevalence of sarcopenia and SO. Therefore, the aim of this study is to review the available evidence and gaps within this field in the Nordic countries. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Web of science (WOS) were searched up to February 2023. In addition, grey literature and reference lists of included studies were searched. Two independent researcher assessed papers and extracted data. RESULTS: Thirty-three studies out of 6,363 searched studies were included in this scoping review. Overall prevalence of sarcopenia varied from 0.9 to 58.5%. A wide prevalence range was still present for community-dwelling older adults when definition criteria and setting were considered. The prevalence of SO ranged from 4 to 11%, according to the only study on this field. Based on the included studies, potential risk factors for sarcopenia include malnutrition, low physical activity, specific diseases (e.g., diabetes), inflammation, polypharmacy, and aging, whereas increased levels of physical activity and improved dietary intake may reduce the risk of sarcopenia. The few available interventions for sarcopenia were mainly focused on resistance training with/without nutritional supplements (e.g., protein, vitamin D). CONCLUSION: The findings of our study revealed inadequate research on SO but an increasing trend in the number of studies on sarcopenia. However, most of the included studies had descriptive cross-sectional design, small sample size, and applied different diagnostic criteria. Therefore, larger well-designed cohort studies that adhere to uniform recent guidelines are required to capture a full picture of these two age-related medical conditions in Nordic countries, and plan for prevention/treatment accordingly.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
HumansSarcopeniaAgedObesityScandinavian and Nordic CountriesPrevalenceRisk FactorsAged, 80 and over
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy50/10
Quality65/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations3
Citations/Year3.0
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score1.34
Normalized Score0.53
Related Supplements
Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity among older adults in the ... | Panacea Index