Notable Publication: Association of Inflammatory Markers with Muscle and Cognitive Function in Early and Late-aging Older Adults

Loss in muscle and cognitive function is a common occurrence among older adults, and previous research has shown that inflammation can contribute to a physical decline and increase overall frailty once muscle is lost.

UPMC Division of Geriatric Medicine faculty, including Nami Safai Haeri, MD, Subashan Perera, PhD, Neelesh Nadkarni, MD, PhD, and Susan Greenspan, MD, published research in the Journal of Health, Nutrition, and Aging to investigate the relationship of inflammatory markers, including CRP, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, TNFR1, and TNFR2, with muscle and cognitive function in frail early-aging and non-frail late-aging older adults.¹

Study Overview¹

Method: 200 participants living in a community were grouped based on age and functional status. The first group was comprised of 100 “early-agers” who ranged from age 65 to 75 and had poor functional status and more co-morbidities. The second group was comprised of 100 “late-agers” who were older than 75 years but were healthier and had better functional status. The research team assessed CRP, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, TNFR1, TNFR2, grip strength, Short Physical Performance Battery score, and cognitive function.

Results: Early-agers showed significant associations between inflammatory markers and outcomes. In late-agers, no significant correlation was found between any of the inflammatory markers and functional outcomes.

Conclusion: Ultimately, results showed that for early-agers with frailty and more co-morbidities, the inflammatory markers CRP, TNF-α, TNFR1, and TNFR2 were associated with grip strength, TNFR1 was correlated with physical performance, and IL-10 was correlated with cognitive function. However, in healthier late-agers, no relationship was found between inflammatory markers and muscle or cognitive function.

The research team believes that their findings suggest presence of a relationship between inflammation and loss of muscle performance and cognitive function in frailer and sicker individuals, regardless of their chronological age.

View the full study.

Reference

1. Haeri NS, Perera S, Nadkarni NK, Greenspan SL. Association of inflammatory markers with muscle and cognitive function in early and late-aging older adults. J Nutr Health Aging. 2024 May; 28(5):100207. doi: 10.1016/j.jnha.2024.100207. Epub 2024 Mar 8. PMID: 38460316.