Gait reserve is associated with sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between sarcopenia and GR in community-dwelling older adults.

Participants was a total of 5104 older adults (aged 65 years or older, mean age 71 years) who were enrolled in the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology–Study of Geriatric Syndrome (NCGG-SGS).  Those who had a history of Alzheimer's disease, depression, Parkinson's disease, stroke, certified care recipients, those not independent in basic activities of daily living, and those with missing values were excluded, the 4291 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years or older were analyzed. Normal gait speed (NGS) and maximum gait speed (MGS) were measured, and the difference between the two measurements (MGS-NGS) was calculated as gait reserve. Based on the revised recommendations of the EWGSOP (EWGSOP2) criteria for sarcopenia [grip strength ( 26 kg for men, 18 kg for women), MGS ( 1.0 m/s for both men and women), skeletal muscle mass ( 7.0 kg/m² for men, 5.7 kg/m² for women)], participants were divided into a robust group or a sarcopenia group (sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia), and the NGS, MGS, and GR were compared between groups. Logistic regression analysis was also performed, with the presence of sarcopenia as the dependent variable (robust: 0, sarcopenia or severe sarcopenia: 1), GR as the independent variable, and age, sex, and body mass index as the adjusted variable.

The NGS, MGS, and GR were all significantly lower in than the sarcopenia group (n=174, NGS: 1.08 ± 0.24 m/s, MGS: 1.52 ± 0.32 m/s, GR: 0.44 ± 0.18 m/s) than the robust group (n=4117, NGS: 1.21 ± 0.21 m/s, MGS: 1.70 ± 0.29 m/s, GR: 0.48 ± 0.20 m/s). Furthermore, logistic regression analysis showed that the GR was significantly associated with sarcopenia in crude model (odds ratio: 0.288, 95% confidence interval: 0.126-0.661, p = 0.003) and adjusted model (odds ratio: 0.371, 95% confidence interval: 0.140-0.986, p=0.047).

The GR is closely associated with sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults. Lower muscle mass may result in a reduced ability to increase walking speed from normal to maximal speed.

As the GR was cross-sectionally associated with sarcopenia, future longitudinal studies will be required to verify whether it is a factor that affects the progression of sarcopenia.