A study led by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili has followed more than one thousand individuals with overweight or obesity and other metabolic indicators, such as hypertension or elevated glucose and cholesterol levels, over a six-year period.
Sarcopenic obesity—defined as the combination of excess body fat with low muscle mass and strength—is a risk factor for cognitive decline in older adults. This is the conclusion of a longitudinal study conducted by researchers from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) and the CatSud Biomedical Research Institute, in collaboration with other groups from the Biomedical Research Networking Centre (CIBER).
The investigation monitored 1,097 participants aged between 55 and 75 years who presented overweight or obesity and metabolic syndrome—a cluster of risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, including hypertension, high cholesterol, or elevated blood glucose. The research team examined whether individuals with sarcopenic obesity at baseline were more likely to experience deterioration in different domains of cognitive function, assessed periodically through standardized neuropsychological tests.
The Combination of Sarcopenia and Obesity: A Key Driver of Cognitive Decline
The findings reveal that participants with sarcopenic obesity experienced a greater decline in overall cognitive function after six years and showed an increased risk of subtle cognitive impairment, an early stage preceding mild cognitive impairment. By contrast, neither obesity alone nor isolated sarcopenia were associated with poorer cognitive performance, suggesting that the combination of both conditions may be responsible for a more detrimental impact on brain health.
“Ageing with an unfavourable body composition may have deeper implications than we previously thought,” explains Héctor Vázquez-Lorente, researcher at the URV Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology and first author of the study. “Our data show that sarcopenic obesity can accelerate cognitive decline even before clinical symptoms appear,” he adds.
According to Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Professor of Nutrition at URV, ICREA Academia researcher, and senior author of the article, these results highlight the importance of early detection: “Identifying sarcopenic obesity in older adults could be crucial for anticipating cognitive trajectories and enabling early interventions that help prevent future cases of dementia.”
Public Health Implications
Sarcopenic obesity is particularly relevant in contexts with ageing populations, high levels of sedentary behaviour, and a growing prevalence of obesity. Detecting it in clinical practice could facilitate more effective interventions during the initial stages of cognitive decline: “Understanding how body composition influences brain health is essential for designing strategies to slow down age-related decline,” notes Salas-Salvadó. Furthermore, he stresses that the findings “reinforce the need to promote a healthy lifestyle that combines physical activity, balanced nutrition, and control of excess body fat to curb the rise of sarcopenic obesity.”
Reference: Vázquez-Lorente H, Paz-Graniel I, Margara-Escudero HJ, Martínez-González MÁ, Romaguera D, Urbistondo DM, Estruch R, Sánchez VM, Vidal J, Fitó M, Goñi N, Chaplin A, Zulet MA, Sacanella E, de Paz Fernández JA, Altés A, García-Gavilán JF, Konieczna J, Martínez JA, Salas-Salvadó J. Sarcopenic Obesity and Longitudinal Trajectories on Cognitive Performance and Subtle Cognitive Impairment Over 6 Years in Older Adults. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2025 Dec;16(6):e70158. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.70158. PMID: 41361860.
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