Association between IL-17 and sarcopenia in older adults

Background Chronic low-grade inflammation has been implicated as a potential contributor to sarcopenia, but the specific inflammatory mediators involved remain under investigation. This study explores the association between serum interleukin-17 levels and sarcopenia in older outpatients without pre-existing inflammatory or autoimmune diseases. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the MiMiCS-FRAIL cohort. Sarcopenia was defined according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 criteria. IL-17 plasma levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A multivariate binary logistic regression model was used to assess the association between sarcopenia and IL-17 levels. Results A total of 255 older adults aged ≥60 years (67.6% women) were included, with a mean age of 70.8 ± 7.3 years. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 16.9%. Advanced age (OR = 4.26; 95% CI: 1.75–10.41; p = 0.001) was significantly associated with sarcopenia. In the fully adjusted model, IL-17 (log-transformed) remained significantly associated with sarcopenia (OR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.11–2.74; p = 0.017). Age (OR = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.03–1.17; p = 0.003) and BMI (OR = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.60–0.79; p < 0.001) were also associated. IL-6, TNF-α, number of medications, sex, and cognitive score were not statistically significant. Conclusions Elevated IL-17 levels were associated with higher odds of sarcopenia among older adults. These findings suggest that IL-17 may serve as a potential biomarker for sarcopenia, although further longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate its causal role.