Interaction of central obesity and sarcopenia on nutritional status in the community-dwelling older people.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the interrelationships between central obesity, sarcopenia and nutritional status in the elderly. METHODS: We enrolled 501 elderly (women: 47.5 %) with complete datasets. Biochemical and anthropometric data were measured after an overnight fast. Basic characteristics, psychosocial and behavioral factors, nutritional status, and history of chronic disease came from structured questionnaires. Central obesity was defined as waist circumference ≥ 90 cm for men, ≥ 80 cm for women. Sarcopenia was defined by the Asian consensus. Nutritional status was assessed using Mini Nutritional Assessment scores: abnormal nutritional status ≤ 23.5. Multiple logistic regression analysis was done to determine the independent factors of an abnormal nutritional status. RESULTS: Ninety (18.0 %) participants had an abnormal nutritional status, 300 (59.9 %) had central obesity, 52 (10.4 %) sarcopenia and 3 (0.6 %) sarcopenic obesity. Central obesity (OR = 0.455, 95 % CI: 0.244-0.847) and total lymphocyte count (OR = 0.526, 95 % CI: 0.315-0.880) were negatively and sarcopenia (OR = 3.170, 95 % CI: 1.485-6.767), current smoking (OR = 4.071, 95 % CI: 1.357-12.211), and total number of chronic diseases (OR = 1.484, 95 % CI: 1.234-1.785) were positively associated with abnormal nutritional status. An analysis of the combine effects of central obesity and sarcopenia on nutritional status showed that significantly fewer participants with central obesity but not sarcopenia had abnormal nutrition than participants with sarcopenia with or without central obesity (12.8 % vs 38.5 or 65.4 %, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Central obesity and sarcopenia were interactively associated with the nutritional status of older people living in a rural community.

Prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders in Taiwan: questionnaire-based survey for adults based on the Rome III criteria.

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) are a group of disorders of the digestive system in which the chronic or recurrent symptoms cannot be explained by the presence of structural or tissue abnormality. This survey used a modified Rome III questionnaire on the health and nutrition status of a general population in Taiwan during 2005-2008. A total of 4,275 responders completed the questionnaire. The sample was evenly distributed for men (n=2,137) and women (n=2,138). The prevalence of FGID was 26.2%. Unspecified functional bowel disorder was the most prevalent (8.9%). The second was functional dyspepsia (5.3%), and the third were irritable bowel syndrome (4.4%) and functional constipation (4.4%). Women had a greater prevalence than males (33.2% compared to 22.4%, p<0.05) with regards to total FGID. Most categories of FGID were significantly prominent in women, except functional diarrhea. The FGID groups took fewer servings of vegetables and fruits than the non-FGID group each day (vegetables 2.51 vs 2.70, p<0.001; fruits 0.82 vs 0.91, p<0.001). Smoking, alcohol consumption, and betel nut chewing had no significant impaction on prevalence of FGID. The mean BSRS (brief-symptom rating scale) for screening depression and suicide ideation was higher in the FGID group (2.86 vs 1.63, p<0.001). In conclusion, FGID diagnosed with Rome III criteria are not uncommon in Taiwan's general population. Subjects who met the Rome III criteria for FGID in Taiwan were younger, had less vegetables and fruits intake, higher BSRS scores and were of greater female predominance.