Assessing lifestyle-related diseases with body and muscle mass using bioelectrical impedance analysis

Objectives: To investigate the correlation between imbalance of muscle mass to body weight and lifestyle-related diseases using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) among Japanese population.

Methods: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study conducted at Juntendo University Hospital in Tokyo, Japan, from May 2015 to November 2017. Their muscle-to-weight ratio were stratified into "muscle-to-weight ratio" quartiles as follows: men, Q1 (≥0.79), Q2 (0.75 to <0.79), Q3 (0.72 to <0.75), and Q4 (<0.72); women, Q1 (≥0.73), Q2 (0.68 to <0.73), Q3 (0.63 to <0.68), and Q4 (<0.63). The primary outcome was prevalence of ≥2 lifestyle-related diseases, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hyperuricemia.

Results: Data from 2009 individuals (men, 55%; mean age, 62 years) were analyzed. Compared to the lowest quartile, risk for the presence of ≥2 lifestyle-related diseases, in a multivariable regression model for men was as follows: Q2 (odds ratio [OR], 1.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31-2.87), Q3 (OR, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.89-4.29), and Q4 (OR, 6.00; 95% CI, 4.07-8.84). For women, an increased risk was seen in Q2 (OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.20-4.46), Q3 (OR, 4.45; 95% CI, 2.40-8.26), and Q4 (OR, 12.6; 95% CI, 6.80-23.5). Cutoff values of muscle-to-weight ratio correlated with lifestyle-related diseases (≥2) were 0.76 for men and 0.68 for women.

Conclusions: Our results showed that an imbalance of muscle mass to body weight confers an independent and stepwise increased risk for lifestyle-related diseases.