Relationships among Muscle Mass and Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, Physical Activity, and Nutrient Intake in Elderly Women: Based on the 4th-5th (2008-2011) Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES)

This study examined the relationships among muscle mass and obesity, metabolic syndrome, and physical activity in elderly women. The 4th-5th (2008 to 2011) Korean national health and nutrition examination survey data were analyzed using the SPSS 23.0 package program. The results showed that sarcopenic obese group had significantly higher metabolic syndrome parameters, such as waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and triacylglyceride, compared to non-sarcopenic non-obese group. The sarcopenic non-obese group showed a 2 times higher risk of metabolic syndrome, and the non-sarcopenic obese and sarcopenic obese groups showed a 6 times higher risk of metabolic syndrome than the non-sarcopenic non-obese group. The non-sarcopenic groups showed higher amounts of high intensity, moderate intensity, and total physical activities than the sarcopenic groups. In addition, non-sarcopenic groups participated more in high-intensity exercise but less in flexibility exercise than the sarcopenic groups. Furthermore, the participants had a carbohydrate dependent diet with a low intake of vitamins and mineral. These results suggest that the elderly women should consistently participate in physical activities and eat a balanced diet to decrease the risk of metabolic syndrome by maintaining their body weight and muscle mass to normal levels. Therefore, to reduce metabolic syndrome in elderly women, it is important develop and promote exercise and nutritional education programs to reduce metabolic syndrome in elderly women.