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Bone, muscle, and fat may affect gait and balance in older adults. Osteoporosis was prevalent in low muscle mass participants and related to gait and balance deficits. Low muscle combined with high fat mass had more functional deficits and poorer bone health, which has implications for falls risk and fractures.

Decreasing bone density and muscle mass and increasing fat mass may act synergistically to affect gait and balance in older adults.

One hundred eighty-three older adults (age 72.7 ± 6 years, range 56–93; body mass index 28.2 ± 4.9, range 16.6–46.0) were recruited from a New Zealand falls prevention intervention trial. Total and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM), percent fat, and bone mineralization were assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and used to …