Purpose: This population-based cross-sectional study aimed to determine whether the triglyceride–glucose index (TyG index) is associated with sarcopenic obesity (SO) and whether it would be a helpful indicator of SO. Methods: A total of 3821 participants aged ≥ 60 years were selected for the study group, and 4919 participants aged 20–39 years were included as a reference group. The participants were allocated to sarcopenia, obesity, and SO groups depending on if their body mass index (BMI) was ≥25 kg/m² and their sarcopenia index was ≤1 standard deviation (SD) lower than the mean of the reference group. The sex-specific differences and trends among the participants were analyzed by using the TyG index tertiles, and appropriate cut-off values of the TyG index for SO were calculated. Results: As the TyG index increased, BMI increased, but the sarcopenia index decreased in both sexes. Males and females in the middle and highest tertiles of the TyG index were 1.775 and 3.369, and they were 1.993 and 3.157 times more likely to have SO, respectively. The cut-off values of the TyG index for SO in males and females were ≥8.72 and 8.67, respectively. Conclusion: A high TyG index is positively associated with SO, and the TyG index may be considered a potential indicator of SO.

The visceral adiposity index (VAI) was recently introduced to quantify visceral fat accumulation and dysfunction. This cross-sectional study explored whether the VAI is associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in older adults and compared its utility with that of body mass index (BMI) for predicting CKD. In total, 7736 older adults (3479 men and 4257 women) aged ≥ 60 years were divided into normal, mild, and moderate-to-severe CKD groups. Associations of the VAI and BMI with CKD were compared among the groups, and cut-off points for moderate-to-severe CKD (^MSCKD) were established. While the VAI could discriminate among all of the groups, the BMI could not. The severity of CKD was more strongly associated with the VAI than BMI. The odds ratios indicated that, in the fully adjusted model, the VAI was a significant predictor of ^MSCKD in both men and women, while the BMI was a significant predictor only in men. For the VAI, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values for men and women were 0.631 (cut-off point: ≥2.993) and 0.588 (≥4.001), compared with 0.555 (≥25.335) and 0.533 (≥24.096) for BMI, respectively. Taken together, the findings suggest that the VAI is associated with CKD and represents a better indicator for the disease than BMI.

Editorial: Lifestyle modification strategies as first line of chronic disease management

Because obesity is associated with impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes (T2D), it is important to manage the blood glucose level at an early stage. Nevertheless, people with obesity have significantly lower resistance to muscle fatigue after exercise and exercise adherence. Therefore, we developed a novel “Relaxing-Vibration Training (_RVT)” consisting of 25 postures using vibration stimulation of skeletal muscle and determined the feasibility of _RVT for glycemic management. Thirty-one participants with obesity were enrolled in a controlled trial (CT) and experimental trial (ET) based on a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). During the CT, participants were required to rest in a quiet room. During the ET, the _RVT program (50 Hz, 4 mm), consisting of 25 postures of relaxation and stretching on the vibratory platform, was performed for 40 min. Subsequently, the participants rested as in the CT. Subjective fatigue and muscle stiffness measurements and blood collection were conducted before and after _RVT. In both the CT and ET, interstitial fluid (ISF) glucose concentrations were measured every 15 min for 2 h. The incremental area under the curve value of real-time ISF glucose during an OGTT was significantly lower in the ET than in the CT (ET: 7476.5 ± 2974.9, CT: 8078.5 ± 3077.7, effect size r = 0.4). Additionally, the levels of metabolic glucose regulators associated with myokines, muscle stiffness, and subjective fatigue significantly improved after _RVT. This novel _RVT suggests that it is effective in glycemic management with great potential to improve impaired glucose tolerance and T2D with obesity in the future.