Association between sarcopenia components and depressed mood varies by sex among community-dwelling older adults from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study

This cross-sectional study investigated the association between sarcopenia components and depressed mood in community-dwelling adults aged 70-84 years from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. Depressed mood was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale short form. Logistic regression was used to examine sex-specific associations between sarcopenia components and depressed mood. Among 1,913 participants (mean age: 75.9 years, 49.0% women), 12.2% and 23.6% had depressed mood and sarcopenia, respectively. Sarcopenia prevalence increased among individuals with depressed mood in both sexes (men: P < 0.001; women: P = 0.016). Severe sarcopenia (men: OR, 3.620; 95% CI, 1.634-8.022; women OR, 3.332; 95% CI, 1.689-6.574) and concurrent low muscle strength and physical performance (men: OR, 3.660; 95% CI, 1.541-8.691; women: OR, 2.333; 95% CI, 1.294-4.206) correlated with depressed mood across sexes. The co-occurrence of low muscle mass and muscle strength (OR, 2.451; 95% CI, 1.007-5.964) was associated with depressed mood in men, whereas low physical performance (OR, 2.007; 95% CI, 1.275-3.160) and the coexistence of low muscle mass and physical performance (OR, 1.804; 95% CI, 1.003-3.248) correlated with depressed mood in women. Sarcopenia and depressed mood were significantly associated among older adults, underscoring the need to account for sex-specific differences in sarcopenia components when evaluating mental health outcomes to tailor interventions targeting sarcopenia and improve the mental well-being of aging populations.