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The increasing prevalence of obesity among elderly people has led to the definition of the concept of sarcopenic obesity. This concept is defined as the potential to combine muscle metabolic changes associated with both aging and obesity. Several definitions have been proposed, but the absence of a consensus led to great variability in the prevalence of this phenomenon in literature. However, the proportion of the older obese population is not negligible, representing 5 to 15% of elderly people. The study of metabolic abnormalities associated with sarcopenic obesity is of importance, since these subjects are at increased risk of developing functional disability. However, very few studies evaluated the mechanisms involved in the cumulating and aggravating effect of obesity in the elderly, particularly at muscle level. Of note, significant alterations of muscle protein anabolism were observed in elderly people but also in obese subjects. Impairment in muscle protein metabolism, including protein synthesis rate, could be involved in the loss of functional capacity during sarcopenic obesity. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.