The Study
Association of low muscle mass and obesity with increased all‐cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in US adults
This study looked at a bunch of people over time and found that those with less muscle tended to die sooner. But it didn't make people lose muscle on purpose, so we can't say muscle loss definitely causes death—maybe people who are getting sick lose muscle first.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Even if you're not overweight or diabetic, having too little muscle can make you much more likely to die early—from heart disease or other causes.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—this means muscle loss is a major hidden danger, even for people who seem healthy by standard measures like BMI or blood sugar.
- 2People with low muscle mass had a 56% higher risk of dying from any cause and an 80% higher risk of dying from heart disease.
- 3If they also had belly fat but were otherwise healthy, their heart disease death risk jumped 3.18 times.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle
Year
2023
Authors
Donghyun Kim, Junghoon Lee, Raekil Park, C. Oh, Shinje Moon
Related Content
Claims (6)
Adults under 65 with low muscle mass have a higher risk of dying from any cause, and men under 65 with low muscle mass have over five times the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those with normal muscle mass.
People with lower muscle mass have a higher risk of dying from any cause and from cardiovascular disease, even when accounting for metabolic health and abdominal fat.
People with diabetes who have lower muscle mass have a higher risk of dying from any cause or from cardiovascular disease, even when their blood sugar control and kidney damage are accounted for.
Changes that improve insulin sensitivity, lower systemic inflammation, increase muscle mass, improve sleep quality, and reduce fat around the organs are associated with better metabolic health and lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Adults in the U.S. aged 20 and older with low muscle mass have a 56% higher rate of death from any cause and an 80% higher rate of death from cardiovascular disease compared to those with higher muscle mass, even when accounting for obesity, metabolic health, age, sex, and other risk factors.
U.S. adults who have both low muscle mass and excess fat around the waist have a higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, even if they have no other metabolic health problems.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.