Integrating Evidence on Dynapenia and Dynapenic Obesity: An Umbrella Review of Health Outcomes Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Umbrella review synthesizing systematic reviews and meta-analyses
PubMed 41682151 · doi:10.3390/healthcare14030301
What was done
An umbrella review following PRISMA 2020, JBI guidelines, and the PRIOR framework (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023415232) searched six major databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, CINAHL, Airiti Library) from inception to October 2025. It included systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining quantitative associations between dynapenia or dynapenic obesity subtypes and adverse health outcomes in community-dwelling adults aged 60 and older. Quality was evaluated with AMSTAR 2 and certainty with GRADE.
What was found
Four systematic reviews and meta-analyses covering >73,000 community-dwelling older adults were included: - All-cause mortality: Dynapenic obesity was associated with elevated mortality, with hazard ratios ranging from 1.50 (95% CI 1.14–1.96) to 1.73 (95% CI 1.38–2.16) (GRADE: moderate certainty). - Falls: Dynapenic abdominal obesity was linked to falls, with risk estimates ranging from HR = 1.82 (95% CI 1.04–3.17) to RR = 6.91 (95% CI 5.42–8.80) (GRADE: moderate certainty). - Multimorbidity: Dynapenia was associated with higher odds of having two or more chronic diseases (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.10–1.72) (GRADE: low certainty).
Why it matters
This review integrates evidence that age-related strength loss, particularly alongside obesity, is a clinically meaningful marker of vulnerability linked to mortality and falls. It supports combining muscle strength screening with obesity management in geriatric preventive care.
Limits
Only four systematic reviews met inclusion criteria, and all synthesized observational studies rather than randomized trials. Primary study overlap across included reviews was not detailed in the abstract, and operational definitions of dynapenia and obesity were not reported.
Cited by
- supports Loss of muscle power (dynapenia) is a strong prognostic and epidemiological predictor of longevity and mortality in aging.