The Crossroads between Osteosarcopenia and Intrinsic Capacity — A Narrative Review

Intrinsic Capacity (IC) is defined as the composite of physical and mental abilities an individual possesses, encompassing five domains: cognition, psychological health, sensory function, vitality, and locomotion. This construct is central to the World Health Organization's framework for assessing functional ability in older adults. Growing evidence highlights the critical role of the musculoskeletal system in maintaining these domains, while conditions such as sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and their coexistence as osteosarcopenia (OS) are increasingly associated with IC decline. This narrative review compiles current evidence on the modulatory role of muscles and bones in IC and the impacts of sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and OS. Most findings suggest that musculoskeletal tissues influence IC not only through biomechanical functions but also as secretory organs, releasing myokines and osteokines with endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine effects. Among the most studied are brain-derived neurotrophic factor, irisin, osteocalcin, and interleukin-6. Dysregulation of these pathways, along with biomechanical dysfunction and systemic inflammation, links sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and OS to IC impairment. Further research is needed to clarify the specific mechanisms involved, particularly in the sensory and vitality domains, to inform targeted interventions that promote healthy aging.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Journals of Gerontology Series A
Published
2026-04-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glag102
Primary Topic
Nutrition and Health in Aging
Type
article
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article

The Crossroads between Osteosarcopenia and Intrinsic Capacity — A Narrative Review

Cristiano dos Santos Gomes, Harmehr Sekhon, Nailton José Neto, Ivan Baltasar‐Fernandez et al.
The Journals of Gerontology Series A
Nutrition and Health in Aging
article

The Crossroads between Osteosarcopenia and Intrinsic Capacity — A Narrative Review

Cristiano dos Santos Gomes, Harmehr Sekhon, Nailton José Neto, Ivan Baltasar‐Fernandez, Andréa Faust, Tiago da Silva Alexandre, Hassan Rammal, Miguel Germán Borda, Lana Williams, LF Chen, Pierrette Gaudreau, Raman Agnihotram, Ricardo Oliveira Guerra, Daniel Rivas, Claire Godard-Sebillotte, Francisco José García-García, Anna Andrianova, Ana Maria Ayala-Copete, Wayne Lok, Hussein Samhat, Mahdi Imani, The Transforming Health And Resilience For Healthy Lives (THRIVE) Project Group, Howard Bergman, Hidenori Arai, Emma Connolly, Leocadio Rodriguez-Mañas, Robinson Ramirez-Vélez, Alexandra Papaioannou, Gustavo Duque, Konstantinos Prokopidis, Julia Chabot, Julie A Pasco, Oscar Rosas Carrasco, Guy Hajj-Boutros, Marc Sim
article en

Abstract

Intrinsic Capacity (IC) is defined as the composite of physical and mental abilities an individual possesses, encompassing five domains: cognition, psychological health, sensory function, vitality, and locomotion. This construct is central to the World Health Organization's framework for assessing functional ability in older adults. Growing evidence highlights the critical role of the musculoskeletal system in maintaining these domains, while conditions such as sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and their coexistence as osteosarcopenia (OS) are increasingly associated with IC decline. This narrative review compiles current evidence on the modulatory role of muscles and bones in IC and the impacts of sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and OS. Most findings suggest that musculoskeletal tissues influence IC not only through biomechanical functions but also as secretory organs, releasing myokines and osteokines with endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine effects. Among the most studied are brain-derived neurotrophic factor, irisin, osteocalcin, and interleukin-6. Dysregulation of these pathways, along with biomechanical dysfunction and systemic inflammation, links sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and OS to IC impairment. Further research is needed to clarify the specific mechanisms involved, particularly in the sensory and vitality domains, to inform targeted interventions that promote healthy aging.

The Journals of Gerontology Series A
Edith Cowan University (AU), University of Liverpool (GB), Deakin University (AU), Universidade Federal de São Carlos (BR), Trinity College Dublin (IE), Universidad Iberoamericana (MX), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (CO), Stavanger University Hospital (NO), McGill University Health Centre (CA), Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TW), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (BR), The Centre for Health (New Zealand) (NZ), Navarrabiomed (ES), Servicio de Salud de Castilla La Mancha (ES), Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CA), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (ES), National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology (JP), McGill University (CA), Université de Montréal (CA), Universidade de Pernambuco (BR), University of Castilla-La Mancha (ES), University of Toledo (US), McMaster University (CA)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 14%
Nutrition and Health in Aging
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