Are Hyperlipidaemia and Insulin Resistance Risks For Sarcopenia?

Objective: To investigate whether insulin resistance and lipid metabolism disorders could be associated with sarcopenia.

Study Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sanliurfa Training and Research Hospital, Sanliurfa, Turkiye, from December 2023 and May 2024.

Methodology: The study included 135 patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), lipid profile, fasting blood glucose, C-peptide, and insulin levels were collected. Following sarcopenia screening, participants were divided into two groups for further examination, and the correlation between sarcopenia and other parameters was assessed.

Results: BMI levels were significantly higher in the sarcopenia group (p = 0.003). Triglyceride levels were also significantly elevated in the sarcopenia group (p = 0.001). The number of patients with dyslipidaemia in the sarcopenia group was higher compared to the non-sarcopenia group (p = 0.003). Correlation analysis revealed a positive association between sarcopenia and BMI, insulin resistance, high triglyceride levels, and the presence of dyslipidaemia (p = 0.002, p = 0.032, p = 0.002, p = 0.004, respectively).

Conclusion: This study suggests that high triglyceride levels may represent a risk factor associated with sarcopenia and that sarcopenia may be associated with conditions such as high BMI, insulin resistance, and dyslipidaemia. Controlling lipid levels could be beneficial in reducing the risk of sarcopenia.

Key Words: Chronic disease, Hyperlipidaemia, Hypertriglyceridaemia, Insulin Resistance, Sarcopenia.