PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Alcazar, Julian AU - Navarrete-Villanueva, David AU - Mañas, Asier AU - Gómez-Cabello, Alba AU - Pedrero-Chamizo, Raquel AU - Alegre, Luis M AU - Villa, Gerardo AU - Gusi, Narcís AU - González-Gross, Marcela AU - Casajús, Jose Antonio AU - Vicente-Rodriguez, German AU - Ara, Ignacio TI - ‘Fat but powerful’ paradox: association of muscle power and adiposity markers with all-cause mortality in older adults from the EXERNET multicentre study AID - 10.1136/bjsports-2020-103720 DP - 2021 Nov 01 TA - British Journal of Sports Medicine PG - 1204--1211 VI - 55 IP - 21 4099 - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/21/1204.short 4100 - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/21/1204.full SO - Br J Sports Med2021 Nov 01; 55 AB - Objectives To assess the influence of muscle power and adiposity on all-cause mortality risk and to evaluate the ‘fat but powerful’ (F+P) (or ‘fat but fit’) paradox in older adults.Methods A total of 2563 older adults (65‒91 years old) from the EXERNET multicentre study were included. Adiposity (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, body fat percentage (BF%) and fat index), allometric and relative power (sit-to-stand muscle power test) and various covariates (age, sex, hypertension, smoking status and walking and sitting times per day) were registered at baseline. All-cause mortality was recorded during a median follow-up of 8.9 years. Participants were classified into four groups: lean and powerful (L+P), F+P, lean but weak and fat and weak (F+W). Cox proportional hazard regression models and adjusted HRs were calculated.Results According to BMI and waist circumference, all-cause mortality risk was reduced in the F+P (HR=0.55 and 0.63, p=0.044 and 0.049, respectively) and L+P (HR=0.57 and 0.58, p=0.043 and 0.025, respectively) groups. According to BF%, all-cause mortality decreased in the L+P group (HR=0.53; p=0.021), and a trend for a reduction was reported in the F+P group (HR=0.57; p=0.060). According to fat index, a survival benefit was only noted in the L+P group (HR=0.50; p=0.049). Higher levels of relative power reduced all-cause mortality risk among older people (HR=0.63 and 0.53, p=0.006 and 0.011, respectively).Conclusion Powerful older people exhibited a reduced 9-year all-cause mortality regardless of BMI, waist circumference and BF%. Obesity according to fat index blunted the survival benefits of being powerful.The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.