Abstract
ObjectiveThe present single-center observational study determined the prevalence and coexistence of sarcopenia, pre-sarcopenia, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among apparently healthy Arab men and whether having both conditions present a unique cardiometabolic profile that is distinct than having the conditions separately.MethodsA total of 471 out of 530 Arab men aged 20-77years old were included after screening for the presence of pre-sarcopenia (ALM/ht(2)<7.26kg/m(2)), sarcopenia (presence of both low muscle mass and low function), and MetS. MetS screening was done using the definition by the NCEP-ATP III. Based on the screening results, the participants were classified as control (normal) group (N=328), MetS only (N=73), pre-sarcopenia only (N=64), and MetS+pre-sarcopenia (N=6).ResultsPre-sarcopenia without MetS was observed in 64 participants (13.6%), while MetS without pre-sarcopenia was observed in 73 participants (15.5%). MetS+pre-sarcopenia was observed only in 6 participants (1.3%). None of the participants had sarcopenia. Age- and BMI-adjusted comparisons showed that those with MetS+pre-sarcopenia had the highest diastolic blood pressure and triglyceride levels as compared to all groups (p values<0.001). MetS+pre-sarcopenia group also had the highest levels of glucose and the lowest lean arms-legs/BMI ratio than control and pre-sarcopenia groups (p values<0.001 and 0.005, respectively).ConclusionThe prevalence of pre-sarcopenia+MetS is low among young adult Arab men, but shows a unique cardiometabolic profile that is worse than those having only one of the conditions. Further investigations should be done among Arab women and the elderly.