Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Lower body site-specific sarcopenia and accelerometer-determined moderate and vigorous physical activity: the HIREGASAKI study

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

    We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly.

    Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem.

Abstract

Background and aims: It is unknown if the site-specific muscle loss of ageing muscle is associated with accelerometer-determined daily step count and/or intensity of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between accelerometer- determined physical activity and lower body muscle size in women. Methods: Forty-eight women aged 52 to 76 years had their muscle thickness (MTH) measured by B-mode ultrasound at seven sites on the anterior and posterior aspects of their upper- and lower-leg. Daytime physical activity was measured using an accelerometer on 30 consecutive days and the total duration of each level of exercise intensity (light-PA, moderate-PA and vigorous-PA), average step count, and physical activity-related energy expenditure were calculated. Results: Age was inversely correlated with anterior 30% upper-leg MTH (r=−0.296, p<0.05), but not with other measured MTH sites. Light-PA was not significantly (p>0.05) correlated with measured lower body MTH. However, moderate-PA was correlated (p<0.05) with lower-leg MTH, while vigorous-PA was correlated (p<0.05) with lower-leg and anterior 30% upper- leg MTH. Following adjustment for confounding factors, the anterior and posterior lower-leg MTH was positively correlated (p<0.05) with duration of moderate- PA and vigorous-PA, as well as average step count. Conclusions: Thus daily moderate and vigorous physical activity was associated with higher muscle mass in the lower leg, but not in the upper-leg muscle, suggesting that the site-specific upper-leg muscle loss may not be prevented or attenuated by daily physical activity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Doherty TJ. Invited review: aging and sarcopenia. J Appl Physiol 2003; 95: 1717–27.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Rantanen T. Muscle strength, disability and mortality. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2003; 13: 3–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Sowers MR, Crutchfield M, Richards K et al. Sarcopenia is related to physical functioning and leg strength in middle-aged women. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2005; 60: 486–90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Baumgartner RN, Koehler KM, Gallagher D et al. Epidemiology of sarcopenia among the elderly in New Mexico. Am J Epidemiol 1998; 147: 755–63.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Abe T, Bemben MG, Sakamaki M, Yasuda T, Kondo M, Fukunaga T. Age-related, site-specific muscle loss in 1507 Japanese men and women aged 20 to 95 years. J Sports Sci Med 2011; 10: 145–50.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Ogawa M, Yasuda T, Abe T. Component characteristics of thigh muscle volume in young and older healthy men. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging 2012; 32: 89–93.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Abe T, Kawakami Y, Kondo M, Fukunaga T. Comparison of ultrasound- measured age-related, site-specific muscle loss between healthy Japanese and German men. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging 2011; 31: 320–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Frontera WR, Reid KF, Phillips EM et al. Muscle fiber size and function in elderly humans: a longitudinal study. J Appl Physiol 2008; 105: 637–42.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Evans WJ. Skeletal muscle loss: cachexia, sarcopenia, and inactivity. Am J Clin Nutr 2010; 91: 1123S–7S.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Morley JE. Hormones and the aging process. J Am Geriatr Soc 2003; 51: S333–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Ryall JG, Schertzer JD, Lynch GS. Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying age-related skeletal muscle wasting and weakness. Biogerontology 2008; 9: 213–28.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Willoughby DS, Taylor L. Effects of sequential bouts of resistance exercise on androgen receptor expression. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004; 36: 1499–506.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Hughes VA, Frontera WR, Wood M et al. Longitudinal muscle strength changes in older adults: influence of muscle mass, physical activity, and health. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2001; 56: B209–17.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Rimbert V, Montaurier C, Bedu M, Boirie Y, Morio B. Behavioral and physiological regulation of body fatness: a cross-sectional study in elderly men. Int J Obes 2006; 30: 322–30.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Park H, Park S, Shephard RJ, Aoyagi Y. Yearlong physical activity and sarcopenia in older adults: the Nakanojo Study. Eur J Appl Physiol 2010; 109: 953–61.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Starling RD, Ades PA, Poehlman ET. Physical activity, protein intake, and appendicular skeletal muscle mass in older men. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 70: 91–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Abe T, Kondo M, Kawakami Y, Fukunaga T. Prediction equations for body composition of Japanese adults by B-mode ultrasound. Am J Hum Biol 1994; 6: 161–70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Ogawa M, Mitsukawa N, Bemben MG, Abe T. Ultrasound assessment of adductor muscle size using muscle thickness of the thigh. J Sports Rehabil 2012; 21: 244–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Miyatani M, Kanehisa H, Kuno S, Nishijima T, Fukunaga T. Validity of ultrasonography muscle thickness measurements for estimating muscle volume of knee extensors in humans. Eur J Appl Physiol 2002; 86: 203–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Abe T, Kawakami Y, Suzuki Y, Gunji A, Fukunaga T. Effects of 20 days bed rest on muscle morphology. J Gravit Physiol 1997; 4: S10–4.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Martinson H, Stokes MJ. Measurement of anterior tibial muscle size using real-time ultrasound imaging. Eur J Appl Physiol 1991; 63: 250–4.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Brozek J, Grande F, Anderson JT, Keys A. Densitometric analysis of body composition: revision of some quantitative assumptions. Ann NY Acad Sci 1963; 110: 113–40.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Togo F, Watanabe E, Park H et al. How many days of pedometer use predict the annual activity of the elderly reliably? Med Sci Sports Exerc 2008; 40: 1058–64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Kumahara H, Schutz Y, Ayabe M et al. The use of uniaxial accelerometetry for the assessment of physical-activity-related energy expenditure: a validation study against whole-body indirect calorimetry. Br J Nutr 2004; 91: 235–43.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Abe T, Ogawa M, Loenneke JP, Thiebaud RS, Loftin M, Mitsukawa N. Relationship between site-specific loss of thigh muscle and gait performance in women: The HIREGASAKI study. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2012; 55: e21–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Morley JE, Baumgartner RN, Roubenoff R, Mayer J, Nair KS. Sarcopenia. J Lab Clin Med 2001; 137: 231–43.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Sawai S, Sanematsu H, Kanehisa H, Tsunoda N, Fukunaga T. Sexual-related difference in the level of muscular activity of trunk and lower limb during daily life actions. Jpn J Phys Fitness Sports Med 2006; 55: 247–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Bassey EJ, Bendall MJ, Pearson M. Muscle strength in the triceps surae and objectively measured customary walking activity in men and women over 65 years of age. Clin Sci (Lond) 1988; 74: 85–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Scott D, Blizzard L, Fell J, Jones G. Ambulatory activity, body composition, and lower-limb muscle strength in older adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2009; 41: 383–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Takai Y, Sawai S, Kanehisa H, Kawakami Y, Fukunaga T. Age and sex differences in the levels of muscular activities during daily physical actions. Int J Sport Health Sci 2008; 6: 169–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. DiPietro L. Physical activity in aging: changes in patterns and their relationship to health and function. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2001; 2 (Suppl 56): 13–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Frontera WR, Meredith CN, O’Reilly KP, Knuttgen HG, Evans WJ. Strength conditioning in older men: skeletal muscle hypertrophy and improved function. J Appl Physiol 1988; 64: 1038–44

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health, Exercise Science, & Recreation Management, University of Mississippi, 215 Turner Center, Oxford, MS, 38677, USA

    Takashi Abe PhD

  2. Active Aging Research Center, Toyo Gakuen University, Tokyo, Japan

    Takashi Abe PhD & Naotoshi Mitsukawa

  3. Department of Health and Exercise Science, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma, USA

    Robert S. Thiebaud, Jeremy P. Loenneke & Mark Loftin

  4. Japan Sports Association, Tokyo, Japan

    Madoka Ogawa

Authors
  1. Takashi Abe PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Naotoshi Mitsukawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Robert S. Thiebaud
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jeremy P. Loenneke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mark Loftin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Madoka Ogawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Takashi Abe PhD.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Abe, T., Mitsukawa, N., Thiebaud, R.S. et al. Lower body site-specific sarcopenia and accelerometer-determined moderate and vigorous physical activity: the HIREGASAKI study. Aging Clin Exp Res 24, 657–662 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03654851

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03654851

Key words

Search

Navigation