Higher uric acid serum levels are associated with better muscle function in the oldest old: Results from the Mugello Study - PubMed (original) (raw)
Higher uric acid serum levels are associated with better muscle function in the oldest old: Results from the Mugello Study
R Molino-Lova et al. Eur J Intern Med. 2017 Jun.
Abstract
Background: Sarcopenia is the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength that occurs with advancing age and plays a pivotal role in the causal pathway leading to frailty, disability and, eventually, to death among older persons. As oxidative damage of muscle proteins has been shown to be a relevant contributory factor, in this study we hypothesized that uric acid (UA), a powerful endogenous antioxidant, might exert a protective effect on muscle function in the oldest old and we tested our hypothesis in a group of nonagenarians who participated in the Mugello Study.
Methods: 239 subjects, 73 men and 166 women, mean age 92.8years±SD 3.1, underwent the assessment of UA serum level and isometric handgrip strength, a widely used clinical measure of sarcopenia.
Results: Mean UA serum level was 5.69mg/dL±SD 1.70 and mean handgrip strength was 15.0kg±SD 6.9. After adjusting for relevant confounders, higher UA serum levels remained independent positive predictors of isometric handgrip strength (β 1.24±SE(β) 0.43, p=0.005).
Conclusion: Our results show that higher UA serum levels are associated with better muscle function in the oldest old and, accordingly, might slow down the progression of sarcopenia.
Keywords: Antioxidants; Muscle strength; Oldest old; Sarcopenia; Uric acid.
Copyright © 2017 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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