Zhang Yiping, Gao Xifa, Yu Rui, Zhang Dingzhe, Wang Yu, Wang Jianhua, Chen Xiao
Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2025 Jun 27. doi: 10.1007/s12011-025-04729-4.
Both the muscle iron content and fat infiltration are associated with sarcopenia. However, the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the quantitative assessment of age-related changes in muscle iron content and fat fraction remains limited. This study investigated sex- and age-related differences in muscle iron content and fat fraction in a healthy population, as well as their relationships with handgrip strength (HGS). A total of 198 participants were included. The muscle iron content and fat fraction in the psoas, erector spinae, multifidus, and combined erector spinae and multifidus were determined via the IDEAL-IQ sequence. HGS was evaluated via an electronic handgrip dynamometer. Low HGS was considered if the HGS was < 27 kg for males and 18 kg for females. The muscle iron content and fat fraction increased with age in both men and women (P < 0.01). These variables were negatively correlated with HGS (P < 0.01). The muscle iron content and fat fraction also had acceptable performance in identifying individuals with low HGS (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.673-0.826 for iron content; AUC = 0.818-0.933 for fat fraction). In conclusion, the muscle iron content and fat fraction both increased with age and were both negatively correlated with HGS, which may be used for assessing and screening for sarcopenia.
肌肉铁含量和脂肪浸润均与肌肉减少症相关。然而，利用磁共振成像（MRI）对肌肉铁含量和脂肪分数的年龄相关变化进行定量评估仍然有限。本研究调查了健康人群中肌肉铁含量和脂肪分数的性别及年龄差异，以及它们与握力（HGS）的关系。总共纳入了198名参与者。通过IDEAL-IQ序列测定腰大肌、竖脊肌、多裂肌以及竖脊肌和多裂肌组合的肌肉铁含量和脂肪分数。通过电子握力计评估HGS。如果男性HGS＜27kg且女性HGS＜18kg，则认为握力较低。男性和女性的肌肉铁含量和脂肪分数均随年龄增加（P＜0.01）。这些变量与HGS呈负相关（P＜0.01）。肌肉铁含量和脂肪分数在识别低HGS个体方面也具有可接受的性能（铁含量的曲线下面积（AUC）=0.673 - 0.826；脂肪分数的AUC = 0.818 - 0.933）。总之，肌肉铁含量和脂肪分数均随年龄增加，且均与HGS呈负相关，这可用于评估和筛查肌肉减少症。
