Moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity modifies the relationship between sedentary time and sarcopenia: the Tromsø Study 2015–2016

Abstract

Background Sarcopenia is an age‐related muscle disease primarily characterized by reductions in muscle strength that increases the risk of falls, fractures, cognitive impairment, and mortality. Exercise is currently preferred in prevention and treatment, but it is unknown how different habitual physical activity and sedentary behaviour patterns associate with sarcopenia status. The purpose of the present study was to compare associations of these patterns with probable sarcopenia in older adults. Methods In 3653 community‐dwelling participants (51% women) aged 60–84 years from the seventh survey of the Tromsø Study, we assessed objective physical activity and sedentary behaviour collected over 8 days (ActiGraph wGT3X‐BT Accelerometer), grip strength (Jamar+ Digital Dynamometer), five‐repetition chair stands, and self‐reported disease. We combined tertiles of sedentary (SED) time and moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) to create nine different activity profiles (SEDHIGH, SEDMOD, and SEDLOW combined with MVPAHIGH, MVPAMOD, or MVPALOW). Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine how these profiles associated with probable sarcopenia, defined by low handgrip strength and/or slow chair stands time according to the revised European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria. Results Probable sarcopenia was present in 227 (6.2%) participants. Men with probable sarcopenia had on average 35.3 min more SED time and 20 min less MVPA compared with participants without sarcopenia (P < 0.01 for all), while women with probable sarcopenia only had 18 min less MVPA (P < 0.001). Compared with the SEDHIGH–MVPALOW reference activity profile (714.2 min SED/day and 10.4 min MVPA/day), the SEDHIGH–MVPAMOD profile (697.1 min SED/day and 31.5 min MVPA/day) had significantly lower odds ratio (OR) for probable sarcopenia (OR 0.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.08–0.35), while the SEDLOW–MVPALOW profile (482.9 min SED/day and 11.0 min MVPA/day) did not (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.47–1.11). These findings were not influenced by age, sex, smoking, or self‐reported diseases, and higher levels of MVPA did not further decrease ORs for probable sarcopenia. Conclusions Older adults who achieve moderate amounts of MVPA have reduced odds for probable sarcopenia, even when they have high sedentary time. Those with low sedentary time did not have reduced odds for probable sarcopenia when they also had low amounts of MVPA. These findings need confirmation in longitudinal studies but suggest that interventions for preventing sarcopenia should prioritize increasing MVPA over reducing sedentary behaviour.

Associations between sedentary behaviour, physical activity and frailty in older Chinese women: A cross‐sectional study

“…To our knowledge, no study has yet provided an optimal threshold for MVPA to distinguish exhaustion in older women, but the role of MVPA in reducing and improving the risk of depression and anxiety has been well documented in a number of studies. In a study by Johansson et al(2021), the potential threshold for MVPA to identify weakness in sarcopenia in older women aged 60–84 years was 15–20 min/day. The result was lower than ours (26 min/day) due to the cut‐off value of MVPA (1952CPM/2560CPM [Johansson et al, 2021]).…”

“…In a study by Johansson et al(2021), the potential threshold for MVPA to identify weakness in sarcopenia in older women aged 60–84 years was 15–20 min/day. The result was lower than ours (26 min/day) due to the cut‐off value of MVPA (1952CPM/2560CPM [Johansson et al, 2021]). Adachi et al(2018) found that the MVPA cut‐off value of slowness in older women over 75 years old is 8.7 min/day, which is much lower than our result (29.5 min/day).…”

“…Only a few studies have investigated the effects of PA and SB on the five frailty subdomains and explored the optimal values. One study found that the threshold of MVPA to distinguish slowness in women over the age of 75 was 8.7 min/day (Adachi et al, 2018), while for distinguishing grip strength loss in older women aged 60–84 years was approximately 15–20 min/day (Johansson et al, 2021). The optimal MVPA thresholds for older adults with different frailty subdomains are not consistent.…”

Association of Objectively Measured Physical Activity with Physical Function in Patients with Sarcopenia during Hospitalized Rehabilitation

“…Previous studies have shown that in community-dwelling older adults, increasing MVPA improves physical function and relieving sarcopenia symptoms [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]. In our study, LIPA on admission was associated with physical function at discharge, but MVPA on admission was not.…”

“…Not only physical exercise but also physical activity which includes physical exercise or ADL has a positive impact on muscle mass and function and improves physical performance in older adults [ 17 ]. Particularly in community-dwelling older adults, increasing moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) improves physical function of sarcopenia [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]. However, the relationship between the amount of physical activity and functional recovery in patients with sarcopenia during hospitalized rehabilitation has not been studied, except for the results of a cross-sectional study [ 21 ].…”