Sep 5, 2026
2:00 PM12:00 PM
ePoster display
PD130 - SCREENING PERFORMANCE OF BMI FOR LOW SKELETAL MUSCLE INDEX AND HIDDEN SARCOPENIA IN ASIAN ADULTS USING AWGS 2019 CRITERIA
PD130
SCREENING PERFORMANCE OF BMI FOR LOW SKELETAL MUSCLE INDEX AND HIDDEN SARCOPENIA IN ASIAN ADULTS USING AWGS 2019 CRITERIA
P. T. T. Tran1,2,*, Q. T. Nguyen1, H. T. T. Nguyen1
1Department of Clinical Nutrition, 2Tam Anh Research Institute, Tam Anh General Hospital, Hanoi, Viet Nam
Rationale: Given the central role of skeletal muscle mass in GLIM-based malnutrition diagnosis, the adequacy of BMI as a screening tool for detecting muscle depletion requires evaluation. We investigated the ability of BMI to identify low skeletal muscle index (SMI) and hidden sarcopenia in Asian adults.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 373 adults underwent standardized bioelectrical impedance analysis. Low SMI was defined according to AWGS 2019 criteria, and visceral obesity as visceral fat area >100 cm². Receiver operating characteristic analysis with Youden index optimization determined optimal BMI cut-offs. Correlations between BMI, SMI, visceral fat area, and phase angle were assessed.
Results: BMI demonstrated strong discrimination for low SMI (AUC=0.81) and excellent discrimination for visceral adiposity (AUC=0.92), with optimal thresholds between 23–24 kg/m². Within the normal BMI range (18.5–22.9 kg/m²), 64% exhibited low SMI and 12% met criteria for sarcopenic obesity. BMI correlated strongly with visceral fat area (r=0.86), moderately with SMI (r=0.65), and weakly with phase angle (r=0.39). Individuals with low SMI had significantly lower phase angle values (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Although BMI performs well at the population level, muscle depletion may remain unrecognized within normal BMI categories. A substantial proportion of muscle depletion may remain clinically unrecognized if BMI is used alone. Incorporating body composition assessment may enhance early identification of altered muscle status and support muscle-centered nutritional screening in routine practice.
Disclosure of Interest: None declared