Underlying mechanisms of sarcopenic obesity

Abstract Sarcopenic obesity is a multifactorial syndrome that is characterized by the co-occurrence of obesity and sarcopenia. The pathogenic mechanisms of sarcopenia and obesity seem to be synergistically connected and increase the risk of all-cause mortality in aging populations. With the increasing trend of obesity in our globally growing aging population, sarcopenic obesity will become a major public health issue over the next few decades. Thus, capturing the underlying mechanisms of sarcopenic obesity has strong potential in the development of preventive strategies, which may reduce the future burden of morbidity and mortality. This chapter focuses on the current definitions, diagnostic criteria, and knowledge of dysregulated pathways and the common molecular mechanisms of sarcopenia and obesity that are possibly involved in the pathogenesis of sarcopenic obesity.