Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Association of anorexia with sarcopenia in a community-dwelling elderly population: results from the ilSIRENTE study

  • Original Contribution
  • Published:
European Journal of Nutrition Aims and scope Submit manuscript

A Letter to the Editor to this article was published on 26 June 2013

Abstract

Objective

There is increasing evidence that anorexia of aging can cause physical and mental impairment. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between anorexia and sarcopenia in elderly persons aged 80 years or older.

Methods

Data are from the baseline evaluation of 354 subjects enrolled in the ilSIRENTE study. The ilSIRENTE study is a prospective cohort study performed in the mountain community living in the Sirente geographic area (L’Aquila, Abruzzo) in Central Italy. We defined anorexia as the presence of loss of appetite and/or lower food intake. According to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) criteria, diagnosis of sarcopenia required the documentation of low muscle mass plus the documentation of either low muscle strength or low physical performance. The relationship between anorexia and sarcopenia was estimated by deriving odds ratios from the multiple logistic regression models considering sarcopenia as the dependent variable.

Results

Nearly 21 % of the study sample showed symptoms of anorexia. Using the EWGSOP-suggested algorithm, 103 subjects (29.1 %) with sarcopenia were identified. Thirty-four (46.6 %) participants were affected by sarcopenia among subjects with anorexia compared to 69 subjects [24.6 %] without anorexia (p < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders including age, gender, functional and cognitive impairment, physical activity, urinary incontinence, comorbidity, congestive heart failure, COPD, depression, anti-cholinergic drugs, and TNF-α plasmatic levels, participants with anorexia had a higher risk of sarcopenia compared with non-anorexic subjects (HR 1.88, 95 % CI 1.01–3.51).

Conclusions

Anorexia is common among community-dwelling older subjects in Italy. Our results suggest that among old–old subjects, anorexia is independently associated with sarcopenia.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Morley JE (2007) Weight loss in the nursing home. J Am Med Dir Assoc 8:201–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Landi F, Onder G, Gambassi G, Pedone C, Carbonin P, Bernabei R (2000) Body mass index and mortality among hospitalized patients. Arch Intern Med 160:2641–2644

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Landi F, Laviano A, Cruz-Jentoft A (2010) The anorexia of aging: is it a geriatric syndrome? J Am Med Dir Assoc 11:153–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Morley JE (2003) Anorexia and weight loss in older persons. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 58:M131–M137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Morley JE (2001) Anorexia, sarcopenia, and aging. Nutrition 17(7-8):660–663

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Muscaritoli M, Anker SD, Argilés J, Aversa Z, Bauer JM, Biolo G, Boirie Y, Bosaeus I, Cederholm T, Costelli P, Fearon KC, Laviano A, Maggio M, Fanelli FR, Schneider SM, Schols A, Sieber CC (2010) Consensus definition of sarcopenia, cachexia and pre-cachexia: joint document elaborated by Special Interest Groups [SIG] “cachexia-anorexia in chronic wasting diseases” and “nutrition in geriatrics”. Clin Nutr 29:154–159

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Landi F, Topinková E, Michel JP (2010) Understanding sarcopenia as a geriatric syndrome. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 13:1–7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Landi F, Abbatecola AM, Provinciali M, Corsonello A, Bustacchini S, Manigrasso L, Cherubini A, Bernabei R, Lattanzio F (2010) Moving against frailty: does physical activity matter? Biogerontology 11:537–545

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Landi F, Liperoti R, Fusco D, Mastropaolo S, Quattrociocchi D, Proia A, Tosato M, Bernabei R, Onder G (2012) Sarcopenia and mortality among older nursing home residents. J Am Med Dir Assoc 13:121–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Landi F, Russo A, Cesari M, Barillaro C, Onder G, Zamboni V, De Santis A, Pahor M, Ferrucci L, Bernabei R (2005) The ilSIRENTE study: a prospective cohort study on persons aged 80 years and older living in a mountain community of Central Italy. Aging Clin Exp Res 17:486–493

    Google Scholar 

  11. Morris JN, Fries BE, Steel K, Ikegami N, Bernabei R, Carpenter GI, Gilgen R, Hirdes JP, Topinkova E (1997) Comprehensive clinical assessment in community setting: applicability of the MDS-HC. J Am Geriatr Soc 45:1017–1024

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Landi F, Liperoti R, Russo A, Capoluongo E, Barillaro C, Pahor M, Bernabei R, Onder G (2010) Disability, more than multimorbidity, was predictive of mortality among older persons aged 80 years and older. J Clin Epidemiol 63:752–759

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Ferrucci L, Bandinelli S, Benvenuti E, Di Iorio A, Macchi C, Harris TB (2000) Subsystems contributing to the decline in ability to walk: bridging the gap between epidemiology and geriatric practice in the InCHIANTI study. J Am Geriatr Soc 48:1618–1625

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Hiesmayr M, Schindler K, Pernicka E, Schuh C, Schoeniger-Hekele A, Bauer P, Laviano A, Lovell AD, Mouhieddine M, Schuetz T, Schneider SM, Singer P, Pichard C, Howard P, Jonkers C, Grecu I, Ljungqvist O (2009) Decreased food intake is a risk factor for mortality in hospitalised patients: the NutritionDay survey 2006. Clin Nutr 28:484–491

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Landi F, Liperoti R, Lattanzio F, Russo A, Tosato M, Barillaro C, Bernabei R, Onder G (2012) Effects of anorexia on mortality among older adults receiving home care: an observation study. J Nutr Health Aging 16:79–83

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Baeyens JP, Bauer JM, Boirie Y, Cederholm T, Landi F, Martin FC, Michel JP, Rolland Y, Schneider SM, Topinková E, Vandewoude M, Zamboni M, European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (2010) Sarcopenia: European consensus on definition and diagnosis: Report of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. Age Ageing 39:412–423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Antonelli Incalzi R, Landi F, Cipriani L, Bruno E, Pagano F, Gemma A, Capparella O, Carbonin PU (1996) Nutritional assessment: a primary component of multidimensional geriatric assessment in the acute care setting. J Am Geriatr Soc 44:166–174

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Landi F, Russo A, Liperoti R, Pahor M, Tosato M, Capoluongo E, Bernabei R, Onder G (2010) Midarm muscle circumference, physical performance and mortality: results from the aging and longevity study in the Sirente geographic area [ilSIRENTE study]. Clin Nutr 29:441–447

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Lauretani F, Russo CR, Bandinelli S, Bartali B, Cavazzini C, Di Iorio A, Corsi AM, Rantanen T, Guralnik JM, Ferrucci L (2003) Age-associated changes in skeletal muscles and their effect on mobility: an operational diagnosis of sarcopenia. J Appl Physiol 95:1851–1860

    Google Scholar 

  20. Landi F, Russo A, Liperoti R, Cesari M, Barillaro C, Pahor M, Bernabei R, Onder G (2007) Anticholinergic drugs and physical function among frail elderly population. Clin Pharmacol Ther 81:235–241

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Chapman IM, MacIntosh CG, Morley JE, Horowitz M (2002) The anorexia of ageing. Biogerontology 3:67–71

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. MacIntosh C, Morley JE, Chapman IM (2000) The anorexia of aging. Nutrition 16(10):983–995

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Tai K, Visvanathan R, Hammond AJ, Wishart JM, Horowitz M, Chapman IM (2009) Fasting ghrelin is related to skeletal muscle mass in healthy adults. Eur J Nutr 48:176–183

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Laudisio A, Marzetti E, Antonica L, Pagano F, Vetrano DL, Bernabei R, Zuccalà G (2012) Metabolic syndrome and quality of life in the elderly: age and gender differences. Eur J Nutr [Epub ahead of print], PMID: 22406906

  25. Landi F, Russo A, Liperoti R, Tosato M, Barillaro C, Pahor M, Bernabei R, Onder G (2010) Anorexia, physical function, and incident disability among the frail elderly population: results from the ilSIRENTE study. J Am Med Dir Assoc 11:268–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Ameri P, Bovio M, Murialdo G (2012) Treatment for vitamin D deficiency: here and there do not mean everywhere. Eur J Nutr 51:257–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Tieland M, Borgonjen-Van den Berg KJ, van Loon LJ, de Groot LC (2012) Dietary protein intake in community-dwelling, frail, and institutionalized elderly people: scope for improvement. Eur J Nutr 51:173–179

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Virtanen JK, Nurmi T, Voutilainen S, Mursu J, Tuomainen TP (2011) Association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D with the risk of death in a general older population in Finland. Eur J Nutr 50:305–312

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Wannamethee SG, Shaper AG, Lennon L, Whincup PH (2007) Decreased muscle mass and increased central adiposity are independently related to mortality in older men. Am J Clin Nutr 86:1339–1346

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Anderson AL, Harris TB, Houston DK, Tylavsky FA, Lee JS, Sellmeyer DE, Sahyoun NR (2010) Relationships of dietary patterns with body composition in older adults differ by gender and PPAR-γ Pro12Ala genotype. Eur J Nutr 49:385–394

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

First of all, we thank all the participants for their enthusiasm in participating to the project and their patience during the assessments. We are grateful to all the persons working as volunteers in the “Protezione Civile” and in the Italian Red Cross of Abruzzo Region for their support. We sincerely thank the “Comunità Montana Sirentina” and in particular its President, who promoted and strongly supported the development of the project.

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Physiatry, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy

    Francesco Landi, Rosa Liperoti, Andrea Russo, Silvia Giovannini, Matteo Tosato, Christian Barillaro, Roberto Bernabei & Graziano Onder

  2. Institute of Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy

    Ettore Capoluongo

  3. Centro Medicina dell’Invecchiamento [CEMI], Istituto di Medicina Interna e Geriatria, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168, Rome, Italy

    Francesco Landi

Authors
  1. Francesco Landi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rosa Liperoti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Andrea Russo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Silvia Giovannini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Matteo Tosato
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Christian Barillaro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Ettore Capoluongo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Roberto Bernabei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Graziano Onder
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francesco Landi.

Appendix

Appendix

The ilSIRENTE Study Group is composed as follows:

Steering Committee: R. Bernabei, F. Landi

Coordination: A. Russo, M. Valeri, G. Venta

Writing Panel: C. Barillaro, M. Cesari, L. Ferrucci, G. Onder, M. Pahor, V. Zamboni, E. Capoluongo

Participants: Comune di Fontecchio: P. Melonio, G. Bernabei, A. Benedetti; Comune di Fagnano: N. Scarsella, A. Fattore, M. Fattore; Comune di Tione: M. Gizzi; Comune di Ovindoli: S. Angelosante, E. Chiuchiarelli; Comune di Rocca di Mezzo: S. Pescatore; Comune di Rocca di Cambio: G. Scoccia; Comune di Secinaro: G. Pizzocchia; Comune di Molina Aterno: P. Di Fiore; Comune di Castelvecchio: A. Leone; Comune di Gagliano Aterno: A. Petriglia; Comune di Acciano: A. Di Benedetto; Comune di Goriano Sicoli: N. Colella; Comune di Castel di Ieri: S. Battista; RSA Opera Santa Maria della Pace: A. De Santis, G. Filieri, C. Gobbi, L. Gorga, F. Cocco, P. Graziani.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Landi, F., Liperoti, R., Russo, A. et al. Association of anorexia with sarcopenia in a community-dwelling elderly population: results from the ilSIRENTE study. Eur J Nutr 52, 1261–1268 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-012-0437-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-012-0437-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation