A study published in 2025 in the journal BMC Geriatrics found that a lower stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) is associated with an increased risk of sarcopenia and frailty in older adults. The research analyzed data from 1,807 participants aged 60 and older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2014.
SHR is a marker of acute metabolic stress, calculated using admission glucose and estimated average glucose from HbA1c. The study defined sarcopenia based on low muscle mass and low muscle strength, and frailty using a 39-item deficit index.
Results showed that participants in the lowest quartile of SHR had a 1.5-fold higher risk of sarcopenia and a 1.6-fold higher risk of frailty compared to those in the highest quartile. The associations remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders including age, sex, and comorbidities.
The authors suggest that SHR may serve as a simple, accessible biomarker for identifying older adults at risk of these conditions. However, they note that further prospective studies are needed to confirm the findings and explore underlying mechanisms.
