Background: Air pollution’s harmful effects on probable sarcopenia and sarcopenia are increasingly recognized; however, its influence on sarcopenia progression stages remains insufficiently studied.
Methods: Using the UK Biobank cohort, we included 50,322 participants initially free of probable sarcopenia and sarcopenia. Exposures to PM2.5, PM10, PM2.5-10, NOx, and NO2 for each transition stage were estimated at each participant’s residential addresses using data from the UK’s Department. An air pollution score was constructed to assess the combined effect of all five air pollutants. A multi-state model was applied to analyze the association between air pollution and the trajectory from healthy to incident probable sarcopenia, subsequent sarcopenia, and death.
Results: During a median follow-up of 12.9 years, 4,192 (8.3%) participants developed probable sarcopenia, of whom 12 (0.3%) progressed to sarcopenia. Additionally, 320 (0.6%) participants developed sarcopenia directly. In multi-state models, the hazard ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] per interquartile range (IQR) increase in NO2 was 1.02 (1.01, 1.03) for the transition from baseline to incident sarcopenia. The air pollution score was also linked to increased risk of transition from baseline to death (HR: 1.02, 95%CI: 1.01-1.03). PM2.5 exposure was associated with probable sarcopenia in younger adults (HR: 1.07, 95%CI: 1.03-1.11) and sarcopenia in older adults (HR: 1.16, 95%CI: 1.02-1.31). Stratified analyses showed that age, sex, household income, BMI, alcohol intake, and physical activity modified susceptibility to air pollution-related sarcopenia progression.
Conclusions: These findings highlight the critical role of clean air in preventing and delaying sarcopenia progression, especially in vulnerable populations.

Authors:
Li Cheng, Sun Yat-sen University, China
Ni Sang, Sun Yat-sen University, China

About the Presenter(s)
Sang Ni, Ph.D. candidate at the School of Nursing, Sun Yat-sen University. Her research focuses on diabetes management and geriatric nursing, particularly the mechanisms and interventions of sarcopenia in older adults with diabetes.

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