Prevalence of Sarcopenia and Its Association with Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Cancer Survivors

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Subjects diagnosed and treated for cancer may experience weight loss, especially in the skeletal muscles. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia and its association with metabolic syndrome in Korean cancer survivors. METHODS: We used the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2008 to 2011 and enrolled a total of 312 cancer survivors older than 40 years. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and was adjusted by weight (ASM/Wt). Sarcopenia was defined as 1 standard deviation (SD) below the mean for young healthy adults. RESULTS: According to the definition, our cut-off value of sarcopenia was 30.52% in men and 23.80% in women. For men and women, values of 33.6% and 32.7% were used to define sarcopenia according to ASM/Wt, respectively. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 34.8% in men and 38.2% in women. After adjusting for age, smoking status, alcohol consumption, exercise, education level and income, both men and women with sarcopenia had increased risk of metabolic syndrome (OR 3.71, 95% CI 1.28-10.69 and OR 5.53, 95% CI 2.36-13.00, respectively). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, sarcopenia adjusted by weight was closely associated with metabolic syndrome in Korean cancer survivors.