Objective: The associations between sarcopenia, adiposity indices and metabolic dysregulation still remain controversial. We aimed to assess and compare insulin resistance and metabolic profile in sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic obese Saudi adult men. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted at the College of Sports Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh. We recruited 312 Saudi adult male individuals and 288 were finally selected for the study. Body composition analysis and hand grip strength (HGS) were estimated by bioimpedance analysis (BIA) and dynamometer in all subjects, respectively. Fasting blood samples were collected for glucose (FBG), basal insulin (BI) and lipid profile. The subjects were divided into three groups based on the body composition parameters, appendicular lean mass (ALM) and body fat percentage (BF%), into non-obese (NonOb) [Normal ALM+< 25 BF%], obese without sarcopenia (ObNonS) [Normal ALM+> 25 BF%] and obese with sarcopenia (ObS) [Low ALM+> 25 BF%]. Results: Obese subjects had significantly higher BI, HOMA-IR and HOMA-β compared to non-obese. Moreover, comparison between two obese groups revealed that both BI and HOMA-IR levels were higher in ObS subjects compared to ObNonS individuals revealing that sarcopenia exacerbates the insulin resistance profile. There was a significant trend of higher resistance and lower sensitivity from non-obese to obesity with sarcopenia. Total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) were significantly higher and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly lower in sarcopenic obese subjects compared to non-sarcopenic obese individuals. The worsening effects were more significant at cutoff point of 7.46 on insulin indices and lipid profile showing that sarcopenia associated with obesity exacerbates the dyslipidemia. Conclusion: Our study shows that obesity associated with sarcopenia exhibits significantly greater insulin resistance and dyslipidemia than sarcopenia or obesity per se. Therefore, sarcopenic obesity might be an independent risk factor for metabolic disease progression.

The positive contribution of physical education (PE) to daily physical activity (PA) has been documented in past studies. However, little is known about the contribution of PE to inactive and unfit schoolchildren’s PA. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the contribution of PE to the daily PA of schoolchildren, especially for inactive and unfit schoolchildren. Accelerometers were used to measure the PA of 111 boys (M_age = 13.6 ± 0.8 years) across 7 days. Moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was measured during PE classes and on school days with and without PE classes. To measure the time that schoolchildren spent on MVPA, the accelerometer count (i.e., ≥2296 counts/minute) was used. Schoolchildren spent 22% of PE class time in MVPA. Times spent in MVPA were 12.9, 14.7 and 14.8 minutes higher on PE days than on days without PE for all, inactive, and unfit schoolchildren, respectively. Results showed that 40% percent and 24% of the schoolchildren met the recommended levels of PA on PE days and days without PE, respectively. It is concluded that, since PE classes increase daily engagement in MVPA, especially among inactive and unfit schoolchildren, PE classes should be conducted on all school days.

Purpose: The association between objectively measured sedentary behavior and physical activity with metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been rarely investigated in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the current study was to examine the association of objectively measured sedentary, light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with MetS among Saudi adult males. Materials and Methods: The study participants were 103 males from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (mean age = 54.9 ± 10.6 years). Metabolic syndrome was defined based on having three or more of cardiometabolic risk factors. Triaxial accelerometers were used to measure the time spent on sedentary and physical activities across 7 days. A minimum four days with ≥ 10 hours of wearing time per day were considered a valid data. Binary logistics regression models were performed to examine the association of sedentary and physical activity levels with MetS vs no MetS. Model 1 was unadjusted, models 2, 3, and 4 were mutually controlled for sedentary, light, and MVPA intensities. Results: About 38% of males in the present study were classified as having MetS as demonstrated by a significant (p< 0.05) decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and a significant (p< 0.05) increase in body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), systolic blood pressure, glucose, and triglycerides compared to those without MetS. In addition, low levels of LPA (less than 6.3 hours per day) were significantly associated with the risk of having MetS, independent of sedentary and MVPA (odds ratio (OR) 4.26– 6.96). The results showed that the associations between sedentary tertiles and MetS were not statistically significant. Levels of MVPA were also not significantly associated with an increased risk of developing MetS in all models. Conclusion: This study showed that low levels of LPA were significantly associated with the risk of having MetS in Saudi males from Riyadh city, independent of MVPA and sedentary time. The results suggest that future intervention studies should assess the positive effect of increasing levels of LPA in reducing the risk of developing MetS in males.

Sarcopenia is a major public health condition and is, therefore, of great clinical interest. However, the role of nutrient intake in sarcopenia is unclear. We examined the associations between nutrient intake and diagnostic measures of sarcopenia, including low muscle mass (appendicular lean mass (ALM) divided by height squared, ALM/h²) and strength (hand-grip strength, HGS) among Arab men. This cross-sectional study included 441 men aged 46.8 ± 15.98 years. Habitual nutrient intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Participants were classified according to different ALM/h² and HGS reference values. Participants with normal muscle mass, defined by an ALM/h² cutoff of <8.68 kg/m² (−1 standard deviation (SD) <reference values Arab men), had greater daily energy, protein and fat intake, and percentage of energy from protein and fat (p < 0.01). Conversely, normal muscle mass was associated with a lower percentage of energy from carbohydrates (CHO) (p < 0.001). Regarding muscle strength, participants with HGS above 42 kg (median HGS of Arab men) had higher daily energy and protein and fat intake, but a lower percentage of energy from CHO and a lower intake of total omega-3 fatty acids (p < 0.05). Individuals with normal muscle mass and high HGS have greater daily energy, protein, and fat intake and a lower percentage of energy from CHO compared to sarcopenic individuals.

Background: Arterial stiffness, measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV), is a purported mechanism linking sedentary behavior to cardiovascular disease. This secondary analysis compared associations between measured carotid–femoral PWV (cfPWV) and carotid–radial (crPWV) responses to an acute bout of prolonged sitting with mathematically estimated cfPWV (ePWV). Methods: Overweight/obese adults with elevated blood pressure were enrolled (n = 25; 42 ± 12 yrs; 64% males). Participants performed an 8 h simulated workday of mostly sitting. cfPWV and crPWV were measured while supine in the morning, midday, and afternoon. ePWV was calculated at the same timepoints using age and seated mean arterial pressure (MAP). Pearson correlation coefficients associated ePWV with cfPWV and crPWV. Generalized linear models separately examined the effects of time on cfPWV, crPWV, and ePWV. Results: ePWV significantly associated with cfPWV and crPWV (r = 0.69 and 0.55, respectively; p < 0.05) in the morning (baseline). cfPWV significantly increased over time (β = 0.52 ± 0.20 and 0.48 ± 0.21 with and without MAP adjustment, respectively; p < 0.05). In contrast, ePWV and crPWV did not significantly increase overtime (β = 0.14 ± 0.09 and 0.25 ± 0.23, respectively; p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our results suggest that, although ePWV is associated with cfPWV and crPWV at a fixed timepoint, ePWV responds differently to prolonged sitting and likely does not capture the same acute vascular responses.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, including poor diet, lack of physical activity (PA), smoking, and obesity, are associated with unhealthy lifestyle choices and contribute significantly to the global disease burden. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of behavioral risk factors associated with overweight/obesity, PA, smoking, and eating habits among Saudi students and explores how these vary by region, age, gender, relationship status, and income. A total of 968 participants (285 males and 681 females), aged 18–50, were recruited from bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and other university programs across the Eastern, Riyadh, and Western provinces. Each participant completed the Saudi Food Frequency Questionnaire (SFFQ). The risk of CVD was assessed by summing individual risk factors related to BMI, tobacco use, PA level, glycemic load (GL) of ingested foods, and consumption of saturated fats (SF), processed meats, oily fish, nuts, and cereal fiber (CF). Participants were classified into minimal, medium, or high-risk categories based on their total scores. A high prevalence of CVD risk factors was observed, with 93.6% of participants having three or more risk factors. After adjusting for demographic variables, living in Riyadh was associated with a 12% lower probability of CVD risk. Conversely, students aged 46–50 showed a five- to nine-fold increase in CVD risk. Significant factors influencing CVD risk included BMI (Exp(β) = 11.70), smoking status (Exp(β) = 6.54), PA (Exp(β) = 7.61), SF intake (Exp(β) = 4.79), GL (Exp(β) = 7.00), CF intake (Exp(β) = 24.58), and oily fish consumption (Exp(β) = 2.99). Low CF intake and high BMI were the most prominent risk factors. Lifestyle interventions targeting overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, high GL and SF intake, and promoting CF and oily fish consumption could improve CV health among participants. Addressing these modifiable risk factors is essential for effective prevention.