Association between sarcopenia and parity in American women in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2011 to 2018

Background Muscle atrophy is a condition characterized by a decrease in muscle mass, and it is more common in women compared to men. Currently, there is limited research on the relationship between parity (number of pregnancies) and muscle atrophy. This study aims to investigate the association between parity and muscle loss in a population of Americans. Materials and Methods We collected clinical data from 3,530 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2011 and 2018. Dose-response analyses using restricted quadratic spline models were employed to assess the association between parity and muscle atrophy in the study sample. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was used to balance confounding variables between the muscle atrophy group and the non-muscle atrophy group. Results Among the 3,530 participants, 330 (9.3%) were diagnosed with muscle atrophy. Our study revealed that factors such as older age, Mexican American, low education level, marital status, poverty, physical inactivity, and higher parity were associated with muscle loss. The dose-response analyses using restricted quadratic spline models showed a positive correlation between parity and muscle atrophy in all patients, with an increased risk of muscle atrophy with higher parity. Additionally, the Propensity Score Matching analysis still demonstrated a positive association between parity and muscle atrophy after adjusting for other confounding variables. Conclusion Our study suggests that higher parity is associated with an increased risk of muscle atrophy in postmenopausal American women. Regular exercise may be effective in reducing the risk of muscle atrophy.