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Association of C-reactive protein and muscle strength in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

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Abstract

Sarcopenia has been associated with systemic inflammation and a range of other biological risk factors. The purpose of this study was to assess the systemic inflammation–muscle strength relationship in a large representative community-based cohort of older adults, and to determine the independence of this association from other biological and psychosocial risk factors. Participants were 1,926 men and 2,260 women (aged 65.3 ± 9.0 years) from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a study of community dwelling older adults. We assessed hand grip strength and lower body strength (time required to complete five chair stands). Biological measures included C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, cholesterol, haemoglobin, glycated haemoglobin, adiposity, and blood pressure. Approximately 33% of the sample demonstrated elevated concentrations (≥3 mg/L) of CRP. After adjustments for age, smoking, physical activity, education, inflammatory diseases, and all other biological factors, elevated CRP was associated with poorer hand grip strength and chair stand performance in women but only chair stand performance in men. Low haemoglobin levels were consistently associated with poorer performance on both tests in women and men. These results confirm an independent association between low grade systemic inflammation (as indexed by CRP) and muscle strength that appears to be more robust in women.

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Acknowledgements

M.H. is funded by the British Heart Foundation, UK. The data were made available through the UK Data Archive. The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) was developed by a team of researchers based at University College London, the Institute of Fiscal Studies and the National Centre for Social Research. Funding is provided by the National Institute on Aging in the United States (grants 2RO1AG7644-01A1 and 2RO1AG017644) and a consortium of UK government departments coordinated by the Office for National Statistics. The funders had no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the paper for publication. The developers and funders of ELSA and the Archive bear no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1–19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 6BT, UK

    Mark Hamer

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK

    Gerard J. Molloy

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  1. Mark Hamer
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  2. Gerard J. Molloy
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Correspondence to Mark Hamer.

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Hamer, M., Molloy, G.J. Association of C-reactive protein and muscle strength in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. AGE 31, 171–177 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-009-9097-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-009-9097-0

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