Menopause before age 46 a risk factor for sarcopenia

Undergoing menopause before reaching the age of 46 may raise the risk of sarcopenia among Chinese women, as shown in a prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Researchers used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011–2015) and looked at 4,503 women. Menopausal status was assessed and categorized as follows: premature (<40 years), early (40–44 years), normal (45–55 years), and late (>55 years).

The outcome of incident sarcopenia was ascertained according to the 2025 Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criteria. Frailty was also evaluated, and participants having a frailty index of ≥25 based on 32 health deficits were classified as frail.

In Cox proportional hazard models, premature menopause was associated with a 63-percent increase in the risk of sarcopenia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.63, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.22–2.18). Restricted cubic spline analysis identified age 46 as a critical risk threshold, such that each additional year of delayed menopause reduced the risk of sarcopenia by 6 percent (HR, 0.94, 95 percent CI, 0.91–0.96).

Frailty also showed a positive association with sarcopenia (HR, 1.32, 95 percent CI, 1.03–1.69).

Of note, the highest risk of sarcopenia was observed among participants with both premature menopause and frailty (HR, 2.06, 95 percent CI, 1.08–3.92). The researchers emphasized that premature menopause and frailty acted as independent rather than synergistic risk factors.