Sarcopenia is a severe geriatric syndrome. However, at present, most clinicians remain unaware of the condition of sarcopenia, especially the association between sarcopenia and cardiovascular disease. Hence, Zhou Dan and Gao Ke, graduate students from the teams led by Professor He Shuixiang from Department of Gastroenterology and Professor Zheng Xiaopu from Department of Cardiovascular Medicine in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU), closely collaborated to conduct cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses by using the nationally representative data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) to investigate the association between sarcopenian status and cardiovascular diseases among middle-aged and older Chinese population. Recently, relevant results were published in eClinicalMedicine, a journal of The Lancet, with an impact factor of 14.3.
The findings of this study first proved that the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in individuals with sarcopenia is more common. Long-term follow-up also found that individuals with sarcopenia have a 33% higher risk of new onset cardiovascular diseases, especially the risk of stroke.
After publication, the article was edited and translated into popular science article by WuXi AppTec team, and forwarded by multiple WeChat official accounts, such as Netease News, New Medical Views, MedSci and China Circulation Journal, etc. Moreover, this study also captivated the attention of CCTV-1 channel. The research team was invited to conduct an exclusive interview, and relevant program content was broadcast on the Life Tips of CCTV-1 channel on May 3, 2022.
During the interview, Professor He Shuixiang highlighted that this study deepens the clinicians' understanding of the importance of cardiac metabolism with sarcopenia, and the malnutrition of middle-aged and older population should not be ignored. This study suggests that the assessment of sarcopenia in physical examination and routine clinical practice contributes to identifying the population with a risk of cardiovascular diseases who are most likely to benefit from early intervention. Taking active measures to prevent and improve sarcopenia, such as physical activity, maintaining sufficient muscle strength and physical performance, intake of adequate nutrition and high-quality protein, may be beneficial for reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and promoting healthy aging of middle-aged and older adults.
Video link:
https://tv.cctv.com/2022/05/03/VIDEPgHQJ5EoKZNKGwURe3kn220503.shtml?spm=C31267.P1k37rLSEgDK.EfP2jVSTB7P5.36
Article link:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(21)00545-9/fulltext
