Research
Macro partitioning
Reduced muscle mass is a critical phenotypic criterion for malnutrition, measurable via body composition techniques (DXA, BIA, CT) or anthropometrics (calf/arm circumference) when advanced tools are unavailable.
Check muscle mass, not just weight. Use simple measurements like calf or arm circumference if you don't have advanced body composition tools. Low muscle mass is a key sign of malnutrition.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Reduced muscle mass is a phenotypic criterion with strong evidence to support its inclusion in the GLIM consensus criteria.
Why this rating
Consensus based on strong evidence, though measurement methods vary.
Source
GLIM Criteria for the Diagnosis of Malnutrition: A Consensus Report From the Global Clinical Nutrition Community
Gordon L. Jensen et al. · Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition · 2018
DOI 10.1002/jpen.1440
clinical_guidelineCited 1,417×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Diagnosing malnutrition in adults requires the presence of at least one phenotypic criterion (non-volitional weight loss, low BMI, or reduced muscle mass) AND at least one etiologic criterion (reduced food intake/assimilation or disease burden/inflammation).Strong
- Disease-associated inflammation is a primary etiologic driver of malnutrition, causing anorexia, increased resting energy expenditure, and muscle catabolism, distinct from simple starvation.Good
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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