Predicting Elderly 'Sarcopenia' Becomes Easier... Proven Association with Blood ALP Levels

Professor Lee Yong-je, Department of Family Medicine, Yonsei University Gangnam Severance Hospital, and Professor Jo Ah-ra, Department of Infectious Diseases (Photo by Gangnam Severance)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] A study has found that blood alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels can predict sarcopenia.

Professor Lee Yong-je of the Department of Family Medicine and Professor Jo Ara of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Yonsei University Gangnam Severance Hospital conducted a study on 15,579 adults (7,171 men and 8,408 women) who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2008 to 2011. On the 30th, they announced that the higher the blood ALP level, the greater the risk of sarcopenia. ALP is an enzyme observed in tissues throughout the body such as the liver, bones, kidneys, and intestines, and generally, an increase in ALP levels is associated with liver, biliary, and bone diseases.

Sarcopenia is a disease characterized by a decrease in muscle mass and strength in the arms and legs below normal levels. It was previously considered a natural part of aging, but recently, sarcopenia has been officially registered as a disease. In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) registered an official disease code for sarcopenia, and South Korea also assigned a sarcopenia disease code through the 8th revision of the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases (KCD) in January.

In this study, participants were divided into three groups based on ALP concentration by gender. For men, those with blood ALP levels of 200 IU/L or less were classified as T1, 201?248 IU/L as T2, and 249 IU/L or higher as T3. For women, blood ALP levels of 170 IU/L or less were classified as T1, 171?224 IU/L as T2, and 225 IU/L or higher as T3.

A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted on the low skeletal muscle mass index (LSMI) according to the three ALP tertiles by gender, revealing that higher blood ALP levels were associated with an increased risk of sarcopenia. In the male groups (T1, T2, T3), LSMI was 6.4%, 6.7%, and 10.5%, respectively, with the T3 group showing a higher risk of sarcopenia compared to the T1 group. Women also showed differences according to ALP tertiles. In the female groups (T1, T2, T3), LSMI was 3.1%, 5.7%, and 10.9%, respectively, with the highest ALP concentration group T3 showing the greatest risk of sarcopenia.

Professor Lee said, “Muscle loss leads to muscle weakness, decreased physical activity, and imbalance in the body, which are major causes of reduced quality of life. This study revealed that higher ALP concentrations increase the risk of sarcopenia, suggesting that ALP can be used as a key tool to assess musculoskeletal function in the elderly population.”

Professor Lee Jun-hyuk of the Department of Family Medicine at Nowon Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University College of Medicine, participated as a co-first author in this study. The research results were recently published in the international journal ‘Biomolecules.’

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.