One Common Body Change in Midlife Could Increase Your Death Risk by 83%

Living a long, healthy life is a dream for many individuals. But making that dream come true includes adopting plenty of self-care habits, like regular exercise, a nutritious diet, and stress management techniques. That said, nobody has a crystal ball to view their destiny, and genetics and lifestyle choices play a major role in everyone’s future. But one thing’s for certain, according to recent research: Too much belly fat and not enough muscle mass is a recipe for disaster—especially once you hit midlife.

Although both of these conditions are common and can be detected and addressed early with the right diet and fitness interventions, the combination is what’s so concerning. The name of this disastrous duo? Sarcopenic obesity, which involves low skeletal muscle mass (sarcopenia) and a high percentage of body fat. This condition is defined by two serious factors: a person’s fat breaking down muscle at an incredibly fast rate, along with inflammation, according to ScienceDaily.

Researchers Found That Sarcopenic Obesity Could Increase Your Death Risk by 83%

Researchers found that this unhealthy combination can increase one’s risk of mortality by a jaw-dropping 83%, which means individuals with both of these conditions are at an 83% higher chance of dying than those who don’t have both of them. The research, which was published in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, involved data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) on 5,440 participants aged 50 and older over a 12-year period.

"In addition to assessing the risk of death associated with abdominal obesity and low muscle mass, we were able to prove that simple methods can be used to detect sarcopenic obesity. This is important because the lack of consensus on diagnostic criteria for this disease makes it difficult to detect and treat," explained Tiago da Silva Alexandre, a professor in the Department of Gerontology at UFSCar and one of the study's authors, which was supported by FAPESP. "Thus, our findings allow older adults to have greater access to early interventions, such as nutritional monitoring and physical exercise, ensuring an improvement in quality of life.”

Advanced imaging equipment—such as magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, electrical bioimpedance, or densitometry—is typically used to diagnose sarcopenic obesity. Unfortunately, these tools are not accessible to everyone due to high cost and general availability.

"By correlating data from ELSA study participants, we found that simple measures, such as measuring abdominal circumference and estimating lean mass [using a consolidated equation that considers clinical variables such as age, sex, weight, race, and height], showed for the first time that it's possible to screen these individuals early," Alexandre said.

Why This Combination Is So Deadly

The combination of muscle loss and excess abdominal fat can negatively impact your metabolism, according to Valdete Regina Guandalini, a professor at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES) and researcher in the Department of Gerontology at UFSCar.

“"The study revealed that individuals with both conditions had an 83% higher risk of death compared to those who didn't have them. We also found that the risk of death was reduced by 40% among those with low muscle mass and no abdominal obesity, a finding that reinforces the potential danger of the coexistence of the conditions. Interestingly, individuals with abdominal obesity but adequate muscle mass weren't associated with an increased risk of death,” Guandalini explained.

Extra body fat can make inflammation worse, leading to metabolic shifts that cause muscle to break down faster.

“In addition to one condition interfering with the other, fat infiltrates the muscle and takes up its space. This systemic and progressive inflammation directly affects muscle tissue, compromising its metabolic, endocrine, immunological, and functional capabilities,” she noted.