Many people know that too much belly fat can be bad for their health. But a new study shows that when belly fat is combined with muscle loss, the risk of dying goes up by 83%.
This is compared to people who don’t have these problems. The study was done by scientists from the Federal University of São Carlos in Brazil and University College London in the UK.
This dangerous combination is called sarcopenic obesity. It happens when a person loses muscle and gains fat at the same time. This condition is especially common in older people.
It can lead to weakness, more falls, poor health, and lower quality of life. It can also make people lose their ability to live on their own. Doctors sometimes call it frailty syndrome. Even though it’s serious, it’s hard to diagnose.
One of the study’s authors, Professor Tiago da Silva Alexandre, explained that they were able to show how simple tools can help doctors find sarcopenic obesity early.
That’s important because there is no global agreement on how to diagnose this condition, and without a clear method, it’s often missed. If doctors can find it early, people can start getting help through better nutrition and exercise. This can improve their health and daily life.
The research was based on data from 5,440 people aged 50 and older. These people were followed for 12 years as part of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). The results were published in the journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research.
Usually, sarcopenic obesity is found using high-tech medical tools like MRI scans or body scans. These tests can measure fat and muscle accurately, but they are expensive and not available in many places.
That’s why this new study is so useful—it shows that simpler methods like measuring the waist and using a formula to estimate muscle mass can work too.
The researchers found something surprising. People with both belly fat and low muscle mass had the highest risk of dying—83% higher than those with neither problem. But people with only low muscle mass and no belly fat had a 40% lower risk of death than the average.
This means the real danger comes when both conditions exist together. People who had belly fat but normal muscle mass did not have a higher risk of dying.
Professor Valdete Regina Guandalini, the study’s lead author, said fat causes inflammation inside the body. This inflammation makes the body break down muscles even more.
Also, the fat starts to invade the muscles, making them weaker. This ongoing problem affects how muscles work and how they support health.
Since there is no worldwide agreement on how to define sarcopenic obesity, the study used simple numbers. They defined belly fat as a waist over 102 cm for men and 88 cm for women.
Low muscle mass was defined as less than 9.36 kg/m² for men and less than 6.73 kg/m² for women, based on a muscle mass index.
In the end, this study gives doctors and older people a better way to spot a hidden danger. It shows how fat and muscle loss work together to hurt the body. And it offers hope that simple steps—like measuring the waist and promoting healthy eating and exercise—can make a big difference.
This study also raises important questions for the future. Why does belly fat have such a strong effect when combined with muscle loss? How can healthcare systems offer better screening without expensive equipment?
And how can we help older adults build muscle and reduce fat at the same time? These are areas for future research. But for now, the message is clear: staying active and keeping a healthy weight and strong muscles is key to a longer, healthier life.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies that hop extract could reduce belly fat in overweight people, and early time-restricted eating could help lose weight .
For more health information, please see recent studies that Mediterranean diet can reduce belly fat much better, and Keto diet could help control body weight and blood sugar in diabetes.
The study is published in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research.
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