Low muscle and excess fat coexisted in adults with disabilities

In an observational study, 77 institutionalised adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities had annual body composition assessments over three years. Their median age was 52 years. Researchers used bioelectrical impedance analysis, which estimates body composition using a small electrical current. Computed tomography scans, which use X-rays, were available for 64 participants.

All participants had sarcopenia, a condition marked by low muscle mass and strength. Of these, 51% also met body-fat criteria for obesity. This group had a higher but still low body mass index, a measure of weight relative to height, than those with sarcopenia alone: 18.2 versus 15.9 kilograms per square metre. Yet they had less muscle relative to height. Over three years, muscle mass relative to height fell from 3.9 to 3.6 kilograms per square metre. Body fat rose from 31% to 35%.