The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism · Dec 25, 2024
Higher Circulating Resistin Levels Linked to Increased Sarcopenia Risk in Older Adults
By Kwak MK, Baek JY, Park SJ et al.
CONTEXT: Experimental evidence indicates that resistin, an adipokine, negatively impacts muscle metabolism by hindering myogenesis. OBJECTIVE: To explore resistin's potential as a biomarker of muscle health in humans by examining the relationship between circulating resistin levels and sarcopenia in older adults. DESIGN AND SETTING: A case-control study conducted in a geriatric clinical unit. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 247 individuals aged 65 and older who underwent comprehensive geriatric evaluations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sarcopenia was defined based on Asian-specific thresholds, with serum resistin concentrations measured using an ELISA. RESULTS: After adjusting for sex, age, fat mass, smoking, osteoarthritis, and diabetes, participants with sarcopenia, low muscle mass, and weak muscle strength exhibited at least 27.0% higher circulating resistin concentrations than controls (P = .002-.003). Elevated serum resistin levels were inversely associated with skeletal muscle mass, gait speed, and the short physical performance battery score and positively associated with the time to complete 5 chair stands (P = .019-.048). Higher serum resistin levels were linked to an increased risk of sarcopenia, low muscle mass, and weak muscle strength (all P = .005). Finally, participants in the highest resistin quartile had at least 3 times higher odds of having adverse muscle outcomes compared to those in the lowest quartile (P = .007-.029). CONCLUSION: This study set out to establish a link between blood resistin levels and sarcopenia, suggesting that circulating resistin may serve as a potential biomarker reflecting poor muscle health in humans.