Association between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment in the older people: a meta-analysis.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review and meta-analysis of non-randomized observational studies
PubMed 35670963 · doi:10.1007/s41999-022-00661-1
What was done
A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted across electronic databases and conference sessions to evaluate the association between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment in older adults, including case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies.
What was found
The meta-analysis pooled 26 articles with 18,788 participants. Sarcopenia was associated with significantly higher odds of cognitive impairment (OR = 1.75; 95% CI: 1.57 to 1.95; P < 0.00001). MMSE scores were significantly lower in individuals with sarcopenia compared to those without (reported in the abstract as OR = -2.23; 95% CI: -2.48 to -1.99; P < 0.00001).
Why it matters
It quantitatively summarizes observational evidence linking sarcopenia with cognitive decline in older populations, supporting active assessment of muscle health alongside cognitive evaluations.
Limits
The review relies on observational (mostly cross-sectional and case-control) designs that cannot establish causality. The abstract does not report heterogeneity measures, diagnostic criteria used across studies, or adjustment for confounders like comorbidities or socioeconomic status, and mislabels the MMSE score difference as an odds ratio.
Cited by
- supports Sarcopenia is a key correlate of age-related cognitive and physical decline.