Dynapenic abdominal obesity and new-onset stroke in two national cohorts of middle-aged and older adults
In two national cohorts of middle-aged and older adults followed for seven years, people with both low muscle strength and abdominal fat had a higher risk of new-onset stroke than people with neither; the combined phenotype carried more risk than either condition alone. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
Middle-aged and older adults in two national cohorts were grouped by low muscle strength and abdominal obesity and followed for seven years for new-onset stroke. [1]
After adjustment, DAO was significantly associated with a higher stroke risk in both cohorts, with an odds ratio of 1.96 in the Chinese cohort. [1]
The risk linked to DAO exceeded that of either condition alone, while the suggested stronger association in urban Chinese men was not statistically significant. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Prospective cohort study with external validation in a second national cohort; abstract only.
- Population / context
- Middle-aged and older adults in two national cohorts: 10,153 in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and 5,421 in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- October 15, 2026
Stroke risk in Chinese and English adults with low strength plus belly fat
The researchers asked whether dynapenic abdominal obesity (DAO) — low muscle strength combined with abdominal fat accumulation — is linked to new-onset stroke. They studied middle-aged and older adults in two national cohorts: 10,153 people in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and 5,421 in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, used for external validation. Follow-up lasted seven years. Participants fell into four groups: neither condition, isolated abdominal obesity, isolated dynapenia, and both together (DAO).
Supporting source [1]
Four groups compared after adjusting for lifestyle and comorbidity
The analysis compared the four groups and adjusted for socio-demographic, lifestyle and comorbidity factors. The main comparison was between people with DAO and those with neither condition. A further analysis looked at subgroups, including urban Chinese men.
Supporting source [1]
Higher stroke risk with DAO than with either condition alone
After adjustment, DAO was significantly associated with a higher risk of stroke in both cohorts. In the Chinese cohort the odds ratio was 1.96 (95 % confidence interval 1.37–2.76). The risk linked to DAO exceeded that of either condition in isolation. A stratified analysis suggested a possibly stronger association in urban Chinese men, but this effect modification was not statistically significant. The authors describe DAO as a practical marker across populations; these are associations from observational cohorts, not proof of cause.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. Design, sample sizes and seven-year follow-up are reported, but details on how stroke was ascertained, attrition and confounder measurement are not given here. Findings are observational associations, not causal effects, and the subgroup signal for urban Chinese men was not statistically significant.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Sun M, Tian C, Liu H, Guo H, Yan T. · europepmc.org · October 15, 2026