ArticleEBioMedicine2026
Association between GDF-15 and sarcopenia progression in older adults: results from a population-based study.
Article in EBioMedicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGrowth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), a stress-induced cytokine, has been implicated in pathways related to muscle degeneration, although findings regarding its association with sarcopenia remain heterogeneous. This study investigated the association between serum levels of GDF-15 and sarcopenia progression in community-dwelling older adults.
methods2347 individuals (mean age 72.3 years [SD 10.4]; 61.6% women), participating in the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen, were included in the study. Sarcopenia status (no, probable, and confirmed sarcopenia) were defined according to modified European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 criteria. Twelve-year longitudinal sarcopenia trajectories were identified through latent class analysis. GDF-15 was measured in serum samples collected at baseline. Logistic regression was employed to assess the associations between GDF-15 and sarcopenia progression.
findingsTwo trajectories of sarcopenia were identified: an early-progression pattern around the age of 70 and a later-progression pattern around the age of 80. Baseline sarcopenia prevalence differed between trajectories (p < 0.001), and GDF-15 levels were higher in the early trajectory (1.00 ng/mL vs. 0.86 ng/mL, p < 0.001). In adjusted multinomial logistic models, higher GDF-15 was associated with greater odds of probable (aOR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.2-2.0) and confirmed sarcopenia (aOR = 1.9; 95% CI: 1.3-2.6). GDF-15 levels were also linked to increased odds of belonging to the early progression trajectory (aOR = 1.5; 95% CI: 1.2-1.9), with the association driven by the highest quintiles.
interpretationGDF-15 reflects biological processes linked to muscle degeneration and may provide complementary information alongside established measures of sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults.
fundingThe Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, and the County Councils and Municipalities.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.