Using nutritional assessment to predict gender-specific risks of sarcopenia among the elderly receiving health check-up in Taipei.

Quality of life for the elderly in an ageing society is receiving more attention than ever. After age 40, muscle mass loses at the rate of 3% to 8% every 10 years. Moreover, the decline intensifies after 60 years old. Although many people do not experience changes in total body weight, their muscle mass is slowly replaced by body fat. Decreased muscle mass means lower muscle strength, which affects physical functioning. As a result, daily activities become constrained, risks of fall and bone fracture elevated, self-care ability and quality of life deteriorated, health expenditure increased, and even death ensued. Therefore, early identification of high risk sarcopenic patients and halting or slowing down muscle loss are urgent health issues in old age.  Baumgartner, et al. developed diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia in 1998. In 2010, the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) held that, in addition to low muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance were important components to define sarcopenia. A Taiwanese study showed that prevalence of sarcopenia in men was 18%–64% and in women 9%–41%. An epidemiologic study in 2013 on sarcopenia in Taiwan indicated a prevalence rate of 5.3% in older men > 65 years who lived in Douliou and Gukeng, Yunlin County. In its study population, old age, male, lower body mass index (BMI) and higher body fat percentage were independent risk factors. Nutrition plays an important role in sarcopenia. Due to malnutrition, older people might suffer from lessened muscle strength, loss of body fat, gastrointestinal changes and reduced immune function. Weakened muscle strength may adversely affect ventricular muscle mass and reduce