Visbody S30 Supports Sarcopenia and Body Composition Assessment in Older Adults

About the Clinical Study

När människor åldras, muscle mass and physical function gradually change. For older adults, understanding body composition and muscle status is an important part of geriatric medicine, rehabilitering, clinical nutrition, and healthy aging research.

A 2026 study conducted by researchers at the ”Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy and published in Journal of Clinical Medicin focused on sarcopenia in older adults, particularly those with declining kidney function. The study included 396 older adults and assessed sarcopenia according to the EWGSOP2 criteria.

As part of the body composition assessment, the research team used Visbody S30 for bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), obtaining muscle-related measures including appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) and appendicular skeletal muscle index (ASMI). For a subset of participants, muscle mass was also assessed using CT data at the L3 level.

De Utmaning: Looking Beyond Body Weight to Understand Muscle Status

For older adults, body weight alone does not provide a complete picture of changes in body composition.

Even when body weight remains relatively stable, muscle mass may gradually decline while body fat and other body composition measures change. This makes comprehensive body composition data increasingly valuable in sarcopenia and healthy aging research.

For older adults with declining kidney function, this type of assessment is particularly relevant. Researchers need to consider not only muscle mass, but also muscle strength and physical performance to build a more complete picture of an individual’s overall condition.

The study therefore required a body composition assessment approach that could be integrated into the clinical research workflow while providing structured data related to muscle mass.

De Lösning: Using Visbody S30 for Body Composition Assessment

The research team used Visbody S30 to perform BIA-based body composition measurements in study participants.

The measurements were used to calculate and analyze ASM (appendicular skeletal muscle mass) och ASMI (appendicular skeletal muscle index) as part of the muscle mass assessment within the EWGSOP2 framework.

For participants with available CT data, the study also incorporated muscle mass measurements from CT images at the L3 level, providing an additional source of body composition data for analysis.

By incorporating body composition assessment into the research workflow, the team was able to obtain standardized muscle mass-related data and evaluate these measures alongside other clinical and functional indicators.

De Result: Making Body Composition Data Part of Sarcopenia Research

This study was not designed to validate Visbody S30 as an independent diagnostic tool for sarcopenia. Istället, it was used as a body composition assessment tool to obtain research data related to muscle mass.

The study found that the sarcopenia index based on creatinine and cystatin C was not independently significantly associated with possible sarcopenia as defined by EWGSOP2. The findings also highlighted the importance of muscle strength and physical performance in assessing sarcopenia in older adults.

For institutions conducting research in sarcopenia, healthy aging, clinical nutrition, rehabilitering, and sports medicine, body composition measures such as ASM and ASMI can provide additional data for understanding muscle status in older adults.

For longitudinal research projects, consistently collecting structured body composition data can also help research teams monitor how participants’ body composition changes over time.

Källa
Revisiting the Sarcopenic Index in Older Adults with Reduced Kidney Function: Association with EWGSOP2-Defined Probable Sarcopenia. Journal of Clinical Medicine.

Series Studies by ”Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy

Studie 1: Making Body Composition Measurable: Visbody S30 in Clinical Research on Older Adults with CKD

Study2: From Body Composition to Nutritional Status: Iuliu Hatieganu University’s Research with Visbody S30

Studie 3: Current Article