Influence of Occupation on Sarcopenia, Sarcopenic Obesity, and Metabolic Syndrome in Men Over 65 Years of Age

Objective To investigate the association between sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity (SO), metabolic syndrome (MetS), and occupational history. Methods Using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, men more than or equal to 65 years of age (n = 679) were grouped according to occupation. Results Mean skeletal muscle mass index was higher and mean body fat mass was lower in agribusiness and low-level (AL) workers than white-collar (WC), blue-collar (BC), and pink-collar (PC) workers. The risk of sarcopenia was highest in BC, followed by WC, PC, and AL. The risk of SO was higher in WC than AL and MetS was higher in WC and BC than AL. Conclusions The development of sarcopenia, SO, and MetS is related to lifetime occupation, with BC workers being most affected by sarcopenia and WC workers being most affected by SO and MetS.