Research

Mixed

In older men, sarcopenia defined by the EWGSOP criteria (low muscle mass combined with low muscle strength or poor physical performance) is an independent predictor of all-cause mortality, whereas in older women, these same criteria do not significantly predict mortality.

For older men, maintaining muscle mass, strength, and physical performance is critical for longevity. The risk of death increases significantly if you have sarcopenia, defined as low muscle mass combined with weak legs or poor physical performance. Older women in this study did not show the same mortality link, but maintaining muscle is still recommended for function. Focus on resistance training and physical activity to preserve muscle strength and performance.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Our data suggest that, in older men, EWGSOP-defined sarcopenia is related to higher mortality compared with nonsarcopenia regardless of the ASM/ht2 or ASM/wt index. In older women, further studies with large sample sizes are needed to assess whether EWGSOP-defined sarcopenia increases the mortality risk.
Jung Hee Kim et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2014

Why this rating

Prospective cohort study with 6-year follow-up and adjustment for multiple covariates, though limited by sample size for women.

Source

Sarcopenia: An Independent Predictor of Mortality in Community-Dwelling Older Korean Men

Jung Hee Kim et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2014

DOI 10.1093/gerona/glu050

cohort · n=556Cited 172×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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