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Adiposity and Skeletal Muscle Distribution among Older Adults in Southern West Bengal: Emergence of a Sarcopenic Obesity-like Phenotype
Shankarashis Mukherjee, Sudipta Banerjee, Mala Dey, Sandipan Chatterjee and Sambaran Mondal
Published: 2026/06/01
Abstract
Ageing is accompanied by marked changes in body composition, reflecting long-term biological, nutritional, and lifestyle processes. In populations undergoing nutritional and epidemiological transitions, older adults may exhibit a distinct phenotype characterized by the coexistence of adiposity and reduced skeletal muscle mass, commonly described as sarcopenic obesity. Most Indian studies are hospital-based, urban-focused, or rely on national datasets that do not capture regional variation. Furthermore, little information exists regarding the coexistence of adiposity and reduced muscle mass among older adults in West Bengal. The present study aimed to examine sex-specific body composition patterns and identify body composition profiles suggestive of sarcopenic obesity-like phenotypes among community-dwelling older adults in southern West Bengal. A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out on 331 individuals aged 60-80 years (186 females and 145 males) from southern West Bengal following simple random procedure. Anthropometric measurements were obtained using standard protocols, and nutritional status was classified using body mass index (BMI). Body composition parameters like the percentage of body fat, visceral fat, whole-body subcutaneous fat and whole-body skeletal muscle were measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Sex-wise comparisons and differences across nutritional categories were examined using descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance. Progressive increases in the percentage of total body fat, visceral fat, and subcutaneous fat were observed with increasing BMI categories in both sexes. In contrast, skeletal muscle percentage showed a tendency to plateau or decline among overweight and obese individuals. The concurrent presence of elevated adiposity and relatively reduced muscle mass in higher BMI categories indicates the emergence of a sarcopenic obesity-like body composition phenotype within this ageing population. Such patterns likely reflect long-term nutritional transition and lifestyle changes and have important implications for understanding biological ageing and population variation in contemporary Indian populations.
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