The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Advance Access originally published online on July 21, 2009
The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 2009 64A(11):1183-1189; doi:10.1093/gerona/glp097
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Higher Inflammatory Marker Levels in Older Persons: Associations With 5-Year Change in Muscle Mass and Muscle Strength
1 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2 Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
3 Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography and Biometry, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, Maryland
4 Sticht Center on Aging, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
5 Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
6 Department of Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison
7 Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville
8 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco
9 Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis
10 Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Address correspondence to Laura A. Schaap, MSc, The EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Email: l.schaap{at}vumc.nl
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Abstract |
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Background: There is growing evidence that higher levels of inflammatory markers are associated with physical decline in older persons, possibly through the catabolic effects of inflammatory markers on muscle. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between serum levels of inflammatory markers and loss of muscle mass and strength in older persons.
Methods: Using data on 2,177 men and women in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study, we examined 5-year change in thigh muscle area estimated by computed tomography and grip and knee extensor strength in relation to serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-
), and soluble receptors (measured in a subsample) at baseline.
Results: Higher levels of inflammatory markers were generally associated with greater 5-year decline in thigh muscle area. Most associations, with the exception of soluble receptors, were attenuated by adjustment for 5-year change in weight. Higher TNF- and interleukin-6 soluble receptor levels remained associated with greater decline in grip strength in men. Analyses in a subgroup of weight-stable persons showed that higher levels of TNF- and its soluble receptors were associated with 5-year decline in thigh muscle area and that higher levels of TNF- were associated with decline in grip strength.
Conclusions: TNF- and its soluble receptors showed the most consistent associations with decline in muscle mass and strength. The results suggest a weight-associated pathway for inflammation in sarcopenia.
Keywords Muscle; Inflammatory markers; Aging; Weight
Received: October 7, 2008; Accepted: June 23, 2009