Open AccessA counterintuitive perspective for the role of fat‐free mass in metabolic health
Author(s) -
Lagacé JeanChristophe,
Brochu Martin,
Dionne Isabelle J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.803
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 2190-6009
pISSN - 2190-5991
DOI - 10.1002/jcsm.12520
Subject(s) - counterintuitive , context (archaeology) , perspective (graphical) , fat free mass , population , psychological intervention , medicine , fat mass , environmental health , biology , obesity , endocrinology , paleontology , philosophy , epistemology , artificial intelligence , psychiatry , computer science
Fat‐free mass (FFM) has long been recognized to play a role in metabolic homeostasis. Over the years, it has become widely accepted by the scientific and general community alike that having a greater FFM can be protective for metabolic health. Hence, in the context of an aging population concurrently facing sarcopenia and an elevated incidence of metabolic diseases, substantial efforts are being made to study and develop interventions aiming to maintain or increase FFM. However, accumulating evidence now suggests that a large FFM may be deleterious to metabolic health, at least in some populations. The objective of this article is thus to raise awareness surrounding these results and to explore possible explanations and mechanisms underlying this counterintuitive association.