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Elderly Mexicans have less muscle and greater total and truncal fat compared to African-Americans and Caucasians with the same BMI

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The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Background

How body composition, specifically skeletal muscle mass, compares in Mexican elderly to other ethnic groups has not previously been reported. We tested the hypothesis that older adults from Northwest Mexico (Mex) would have similar total appendicular skeletal muscle (TASM) compared with New York dwelling Caucasians (Cauc) and African-Americans (AA).

Methods

Two hundred and eighty nine Mex (135 males and 154 females), 166 AA (36 males and 130 females) and 229 Cauc (64 males and 165 females), aged 60–98 years were assessed. Total and regional fat and lean tissues were measured by whole-body dual energy X-ray absorptiometry where TASM is the sum of arm and leg bone-free and fat-free lean tissue. Differences in TASM were tested by ANCOVA, with age, height, and body mass index (BMI) as covariates.

Results

TASM adjusted for ethnicity, age, height and BMI, were 22.6 ± 0.2 kg and 17.8 ± 0.1 kg for males and females, respectively (p<0.001). Among males with similar age, height, and BMI, Mex had less TASM compared with AA and Cauc (p<0.001). Total body fat and truncal fat were higher (p< 0.001) and FFM lower (p<0.001) in Mex compared to both AA and Cauc males after adjusting for age and BMI. Among females, Mex had higher total and truncal fat (p<0.001) after adjusting for age and BMI, and significantly lower TASM (p<0.001) after adjusting for age, height, and BMI compared to AA and Cauc females.

Conclusions

Elderly Mex have a different body composition compared with AA and Cauc of a similar BMI and age. Mex have significantly less TASM with greater total and truncal fat. In the long-term, Mex elderly may be at greater risk for sarcopenic obesity compared to other ethnic groups.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Nutrición y Metabolismo. Coordinación de Nutrición, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C. Hermosillo, Sonora, México

    Heliodoro Alemán-Mateo

  2. Department of Family Medicine, Inje University Sanggyepaik Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    S. Y. Lee

  3. Body Composition Unit, New York Obesity Research Center, St. Lukés Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia University, Columbia, NY, USA

    Heliodoro Alemán-Mateo, S. Y. Lee, F. Javed, J. Thornton, S. B. Heymsfield, R. N. Pierson, F. X. Pi-Sunyer, Z. M. Wang, J. Wang & D. Gallagher

  4. Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A. C. (CIAD, A. C.), Carretera a La Victoria Km. 0.6. Hermosillo, Sonora, México, Apartado Postal 1735, C.P. 83000

    Heliodoro Alemán-Mateo

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  1. Heliodoro Alemán-Mateo
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  2. S. Y. Lee
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  8. Z. M. Wang
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  9. J. Wang
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Correspondence to Heliodoro Alemán-Mateo.

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Alemán-Mateo, H., Lee, S.Y., Javed, F. et al. Elderly Mexicans have less muscle and greater total and truncal fat compared to African-Americans and Caucasians with the same BMI. J Nutr Health Aging 13, 919–923 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-009-0252-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-009-0252-1

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