Objective to investigate whether the combination of dynapenia and abdominal obesity is worse than these two conditions separately regarding gait speed decline over time. Methods a longitudinal study was conducted involving 2,294 individuals aged 60 years or older free of mobility limitation at baseline (gait speed >0.8 m/s) who participated in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Dynapenia was determined as a grip strength <26 kg for men and <16 kg for women. Abdominal obesity was determined as a waist circumference >102 cm for men and >88 cm for women. The participants were divided into four groups: non-dynapenic/non-abdominal obese (ND/NAO); only abdominal obese (AO); only dynapenic (D) and dynapenic/abdominal obese (D/AO). Generalised linear mixed models were used to analyse gait speed decline (m/s) as a function of dynapenia and abdominal obesity status over an 8-year follow-up period. Results over time, only the D/AO individuals had a greater gait speed decline (−0.013 m/s per year, 95% CI: −0.024 to −0.002; P < 0.05) compared to ND/NAO individuals. Neither dynapenia nor abdominal obesity only was associated with gait speed decline. Conclusion dynapenic abdominal obesity is associated with accelerated gait speed decline and is, therefore, an important modifiable condition that should be addressed in clinical practice through aerobic and strength training for the prevention of physical disability in older adults.

Background Vitamin D deficiency compromises muscle function and is related to the etiology of several clinical conditions that can contribute to the development of disability. However, there are few epidemiological studies investigating the association between vitamin D deficiency and the incidence of disability. Objectives We aimed to assess whether vitamin D deficiency is associated with the incidence of disability in basic activities of daily living (BADL) and to verify whether there are sex differences in this association. Methods A 4-y follow-up study was conducted involving individuals aged 50 y or older who participated in ELSA (English Longitudinal Study of Ageing). The sample consisted of 4814 participants free of disability at baseline according to the modified Katz Index. Vitamin D was assessed by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and the participants were classified as sufficient (>50 nmol/L), insufficient (>30 to ≤50 nmol/L), or deficient (≤30 nmol/L). Sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics were also investigated. BADL were re-evaluated after 2 and 4 y of follow-up. The report of any difficulty to perform ≥1 BADL was considered as an incident case of disability. Poisson models stratified by sex and controlled for sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics were carried out. Results After 4-y follow-up, deficient serum 25(OH)D was a risk factor for the incidence of BADL disability in both women (IRR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.16, 2.03) and men (IRR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.02). However, insufficient serum 25(OH)D was not a risk factor for the incidence of BADL disability in either men or women. Conclusions Independently of sex, deficient serum 25(OH)D concentrations were associated with increased risk of incidence of BADL disability in adults >50 y old and should be an additional target of clinical strategies to prevent disability in these populations.

Background There is little epidemiological evidence of sex differences in the association between dynapenic abdominal obesity and the decline in physical performance among older adults. Objective The aims of the present study were to investigate whether the decline in physical performance is worse in individuals with dynapenic abdominal obese and whether there are sex differences in this association. Methods Out of 6,183 individuals aged 60 years or older from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, 2,308 participants with missing data were excluded. Therefore, a longitudinal analysis was conducted with 3,875 older adults. Abdominal obesity was determined based on waist circumference (>102 cm for male and >88 cm for female) and dynapenia was based on grip strength (<26 kg for male <16 kg for female). The sample was divided into four groups: non-dynapenic/non-abdominal obesity (ND/NAO), non-dynapenic/abdominal obesity (ND/AO), dynapenic/non-abdominal obesity (D/NAO) and dynapenic/abdominal obesity (D/AO). Decline in physical performance in an eight-year follow-up period was analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. Results At baseline, both male (-1.11 points; 95% CI: -1.58, -0.65; p <0.001) and female (-1.39 points; 95% CI: -1.76, -1.02; p <0.001) with D/AO had worse performances on the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) than their counterparts in the ND/NAO group. Over the eight-year follow-up, male with D/AO had a faster rate of decline in the SPPB performance compared to male in the ND/NAO group (-0.11 points per year; 95% CI: -0.21, -0.01; p = 0.03). Conclusion D/AO is associated with a stronger decline in physical performance in male but not female. The identification and management of dynapenic abdominal obesity may be essential to avoiding the first signs of functional impairment in older male.

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O presente artigo apresenta uma revisão de literatura dos principais conceitos, aspectos e achados relacionados ao processo de envelhecimento humano, buscando sintetizar importantes temas por meio da busca de estudos recentes na área. Além disso, o artigo tem foco na discussão de questões associadas à fisiopatologia do Sistema Nervoso Central, função cognitiva e as respectivas consequências decorrentes tanto do envelhecimento saudável quanto do patológico, que neste último caso pode afetar negativamente a autonomia e independência, bem como a qualidade de vida das pessoas idosas. Por fim, o presente trabalho aborda estratégias que visam atuar na prevenção de declínios da função cognitiva.