Validation of muscle mass measurements among Brazilian older adults

Abstract

Older age is marked by muscle mass loss, which has been shown to increase the risk for falls, injuries and disability. The main goal of this project is to strengthen the current collaboration and to simplify current procedures for measurement of muscle mass, which are used in the diagnosis of sarcopenia. The researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and UNICAMP are established researchers in different aspects of the aging, frailty, body composition measurement and validation. This application is based in an ongoing study entitled: "Association between food patterns, body composition, sarcopenia and frailty in community-living older adults" (FAPESP Regular Research Award 2018/25591-5). For this FAPESP/Lemann proposal, we plan to conduct body composition measurements using a portable, practical and relatively inexpensive ultrasonography equipment. Since this is a new methodology, we will validate these measurements using the gold standard Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry. These body measurements are used for the diagnosis of sarcopenia, which are often used by health providers when providing recommendations related to diet and physical activity to older adults, which can help prevent negative health outcomes. We intend to submit three journal articles for publication and a grant proposal to international agencies for continuation of the project. (AU)