Calf circumference as a surrogate marker of muscle mass for diagnosing sarcopenia in J apanese men and women

Aim To examine the relationship between calf circumference and muscle mass, and to evaluate the suitability of calf circumference as a surrogate marker of muscle mass for the diagnosis of sarcopenia among middle‐aged and older J apanese men and women. Methods A total of 526 adults aged 40–89 years participated in the present cross‐sectional study. The maximum calf circumference was measured in a standing position. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass was measured using dual‐energy X ‐ray absorptiometry, and the skeletal muscle index was calculated as appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by the square of the height (kg/m 2 ). The cut‐off values for sarcopenia were defined as a skeletal muscle index of less than −2 standard deviations of the mean value for Japanese young adults, as defined previously. Results Calf circumference was positively correlated with appendicular skeletal muscle ( r  = 0.81 in men, r  = 0.73 in women) and skeletal muscle index ( r  = 0.80 in men, r  = 0.69 in women). In receiver operating characteristic analysis, the optimal calf circumference cut‐off values for predicting sarcopenia were 34 cm (sensitivity 88%, specificity 91%) in men and 33 cm (sensitivity 76%, specificity 73%) in women. Conclusions Calf circumference was positively correlated with appendicular skeletal muscle mass and skeletal muscle index, and could be used as a surrogate marker of muscle mass for diagnosing sarcopenia. The suggested cut‐off values of calf circumference for predicting low muscle mass are <34 cm in men and <33 cm in women. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 15: 969–976.