The weight-adjusted waist index predicts sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults in a nationwide multicenter prospective study.

WWI was negatively associated with appendicular skeletal muscle mass adjusted for BMI (ASM/BMI) in community-dwelling older adults.

• Spearman partial correlation analysis adjusted for age and sex was used.
• The correlation coefficient between WWI and ASM/BMI was r = -0.354 (P < 0.001).
• Sample consisted of 1,724 individuals aged 70-84 years without sarcopenia at baseline.

WWI was negatively associated with handgrip strength (HGS) in community-dwelling older adults.

• Spearman partial correlation analysis adjusted for age and sex was used.
• The correlation coefficient between WWI and HGS was r = -0.075 (P = 0.002).
• The association was weaker than the association between WWI and ASM/BMI.

During the two-year follow-up, 9.7% of participants without baseline sarcopenia developed sarcopenia.

• 167 out of 1,724 participants developed sarcopenia over two years.
• Sarcopenia was defined by AWGS 2019 criteria.
• Participants were community-dwelling older adults aged 70-84 years from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study.

Participants in the highest quartile of baseline WWI had a significantly higher risk of developing sarcopenia compared to those in the lowest quartile.

• The odds ratio for developing sarcopenia in the highest vs. lowest WWI quartile was OR 2.03 (95% CI [1.24, 3.32]).
• The analysis was adjusted for age, sex, current smoking, regular drinking, low physical activity, low income, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and chronic kidney disease, HOMA-IR, hs-CRP, and 25(OH)-vitamin D.
• WWI was calculated as waist circumference (cm) divided by the square root of body weight (kg).

WWI was identified as an independent risk factor for the development of sarcopenia in older adults in a prospective nationwide multicenter study.

• The study was a two-year prospective follow-up using data from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study.
• The cohort was nationwide and multicenter, including 1,724 community-dwelling older adults aged 70-84 years.
• Findings were independent of multiple potential confounders including metabolic and inflammatory markers (HOMA-IR, hs-CRP, and 25(OH)-vitamin D).