Association Between Life-course Reproductive Factors and Possible Sarcopenia in Postmenopausal Korean Female

(sarcopenia) , (1) . , , , , (2) . Objectives: Sarcopenia, defined as a decline in muscle mass, strength, and physical function that accompanies the aging process, is a major public health problem in the elderly.This study aimed to examine the association between life-course reproductive factors and possible sarcopenia, characterized by reduced muscle strength, among postmenopausal female in Korea using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).Methods: The study population comprised 1,553 female who reported a history of menopause in the 2019 KNHANES.Muscle strength was assessed using handgrip strength according to the 2023 Korean Working Group on Sarcopenia Guideline.The group with decreased muscle strength (grip strength <18 kg) was classified as having possible sarcopenia.Results: In univariate analysis, late menarche (age 16 years) was significantly associated with an increased risk of muscle strength loss (odds ratio [OR] = 1.689, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.207-2.364,P = 0.0024), but the statistical significance was lost after adjusting for confounding variables.In contrast, age was a strong independent predictor of possible sarcopenia (OR = 1.084, 95% CI: 1.056-1.113,P < 0.0001), and low income (OR = 1.478, 95% CI: 1.046-2.089,P = 0.0270) and absence of a spouse (OR = 1.427, 95% CI: 1.028-1.982,P = 0.0338) remained significantly associated with an increased risk of possible sarcopenia even after adjusting for all other variables.Conclusion: These results suggest that aging and socioeconomic vulnerability may exert a greater influence on the risk of sarcopenia in postmenopausal female than life-course reproductive factors.Taken together, our results highlight the importance of adopting an integrated preventive approach that considers both life-course reproductive factors and socioeconomic context from the pre-sarcopenic stage.