Relationships between lung function decline and skeletal muscle and fat mass changes: a longitudinal study in healthy individuals

• Published in: Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle sarcopenia and muscle, 2021-12, Vol.12 (6), p.2145-2153
• Main Authors: Park, Han‐Ki, Lee, So‐Hee, Lee, Suh‐Young, Kim, Sun‐Sin, Park, Heung‐Woo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Body Composition; Female; FEV1; Forced Expiratory Volume; Health screening; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Lung; Lung function; Male; Middle Aged; Muscle, Skeletal; Musculoskeletal system; Obesity; Original; Sarcopenia; Womens health
• ISSN: 2190-5991; 2190-6009
• DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.12821

Background The associations between long‐term changes in body mass composition and decline in lung function in healthy adults are unknown. Methods Using a well‐defined health check‐up database, we first assessed individual longitudinal changes in muscle mass (MM) and fat mass (FM) measured via bioelectrical impedance analyses. Then we classified the enrolled individuals into five body composition groups according to their MM index (MMI) [MM (kg)/height (m)2] or FM index (FMI) [FM (kg)/height (m)2] change rate quartiles. Linear mixed models adjusted for age, smoking status, height, and body mass index were used to analyse the rate of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) decline and body composition groups. Results A total of 15 476 middle‐aged individuals (6088 women [mean age ± standard deviation: 50.74 ± 7.44] and 9388 men [mean age ± standard deviation: 49.36 ± 6.99]) were enrolled. The mean number of measurements was 6.96 (interquartile range [IQR]: 5–9) over an average follow‐up period of 8.95 years (IQR: 6.73–11.10). Decrease in MMI was significantly associated with accelerated FEV1 decline in men only (P = 1.7 × 10−9), while increase in FMI was significantly associated with accelerated FEV1 decline in both women and men (P = 7.9 × 10−10 and P