Biomarkers · Anthropometric

Appendicular Lean Mass / Sarcopenia Index

Higher values go with lower risk of death. Not measured in our NHANES panel. The curve is drawn from the published study (source below).

Appendicular Lean Mass / Sarcopenia Index and risk of death

Published curve higher than the NHANES fitNHANES fit higher

Risk of death relative to the curve's reference value, drawn from the published study (source below).

Published risk of death0.50×per 1 SD increase in ALM (protective form) (95% CI 0.27–0.92) · NHANES III (1988-1994) adults aged >=65 years with pre-frailty or frailty (Fried criteria)

Appendicular Lean Mass / Sarcopenia Index by age and sex

Each bar runs from the 5th to the 95th percentile, the darker part from the 25th to the 75th, and the tick is the median. Not a reference range or a target.

The percentiles as a table

Each row is one sex and age band: the values below which 5%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 95% of people fall (kg/m2), from the survey named in the row. Not a reference range or a target.
Sex	Age	5th	25th	Median	75th	95th	n	Cycle / source
All	20-39	5.34	6.53	7.74	8.87	10.7	1,500	NHANES 2005-2006
All	40-59	5.40	6.42	7.85	8.90	10.6	1,428	NHANES 2005-2006
All	60-69	5.12	6.24	7.33	8.43	10.0	645	NHANES 2005-2006
All	all	5.33	6.44	7.72	8.82	10.6	3,573	NHANES 2005-2006
Men	20-39	6.94	7.77	8.53	9.50	11.2	793	NHANES 2005-2006
Men	40-59	6.95	7.93	8.65	9.42	11.0	709	NHANES 2005-2006
Men	60-69	6.33	7.49	8.17	8.95	10.2	323	NHANES 2005-2006
Men	all	6.89	7.80	8.55	9.38	11.0	1,825	NHANES 2005-2006
Women	20-39	5.04	5.74	6.48	7.55	9.36	707	NHANES 2005-2006
Women	40-59	5.17	5.82	6.54	7.82	9.52	719	NHANES 2005-2006
Women	60-69	4.92	5.65	6.46	7.24	9.36	322	NHANES 2005-2006
Women	all	5.06	5.78	6.50	7.62	9.45	1,748	NHANES 2005-2006

What studies found when this marker was changed

They describe what happened in those study groups, not a recommendation. See all catalogued interventions.

Measured changes in Appendicular Lean Mass / Sarcopenia Index, study by study

2 effects with a numeric size, each from one study arm: the dot is the reported change, the line its 95% interval where one was given. Green points move the marker the way lower risk of death lies; amber the other way. Study results in the groups studied, not predictions for a person.

Each row is one study: what was changed, the effect it reported on this marker, and the source.
Type	Intervention	Reported effect	Evidence	Source
pharmacologic	Transdermal testosterone 75 mg/day for 12 months in pre-frail hypogonadal men aged 65+	Increases ALM/height2 by 0.21 kg/m2 (0.06, 0.37) at 12 months vs no testosterone	RCT	Bischoff-Ferrari HA, et al. J Nutr Health Aging. 2024. Effects of testosterone…
supplement	Vitamin D supplementation alone (any dose) vs placebo in community-dwelling adults >50 y	No effect on ALM: MD 0.06 kg/m2 (95% CI -0.32 to 0.44), I2 73%	meta-analysis	Prokopidis K, et al. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2022. Effect of vitamin D…

What else moves this marker

They describe those study groups, not an individual, and an association is not a cause.

Genetic predisposition

Each row is one study: what it compared and the change it reported in this marker.
What	Effect on the marker	Comparison · population	Source
↓ HLA-DRA expression (cis-eQTL) · per unit higher genetically predicted HLA-DRA expression	-0.09 MR beta (units not reported) per unit higher genetically predicted HLA-DRA expression (95% CI -0.11 to -0.08)	higher vs lower genetically predicted HLA-DRA expression · European-ancestry adults (druggable genome MR)	mendelian randomization · PMID 38644354
↑ MAP3K3 expression (cis-eQTL/pQTL) · higher genetically predicted MAP3K3 expression (MR beta)	+0.24 MR beta for ALM per unit higher genetically predicted MAP3K3 expression (units not reported) higher genetically predicted MAP3K3 expression (MR beta) (95% CI 0.21 to 0.26)	higher vs lower genetically predicted MAP3K3 expression · European-ancestry adults (druggable genome MR, blood/skeletal muscle eQTL vs UK Biobank ALM GWAS)	mendelian randomization · PMID 38644354
↑ MFGE8 expression (muscle cis-eQTL) · per unit higher genetically predicted MFGE8 expression in skeletal muscle (MR beta)	+0.09 beta (ALM per unit genetically predicted expression; scale not reported) per unit higher genetically predicted MFGE8 expression in skeletal muscle (MR beta) (95% CI 0.06 to 0.11)	higher vs lower genetically predicted MFGE8 expression · European-ancestry adults (skeletal muscle eQTL)	mendelian randomization · PMID 38644354

Sources

Risk curve: Brown JC 2017 (PMID 28244576): all-cause HR 0.5 (0.27-0.92) per 1 SD increase in ALM (protective form). Scaled to US values (NHANES).
Brown JC, Harhay MO, Harhay MN. Appendicular Lean Mass and Mortality among Prefrail and Frail Older Adults. J Nutr Health Aging. 2017;21(3):342-345.

Map Appendicular Lean Mass / Sarcopenia Index against another biomarker.

Map Appendicular Lean Mass / Sarcopenia Index against another marker