Influence of obesity on skeletal muscle contractile dysfunction in aging

Obesity and aging reduce skeletal muscle contractile function, which represents a reduction in muscle quality. Dysfunction of muscle contraction may contribute to a greater risk for diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer; therefore, the synergistic effects of obesity and aging on muscle function may exacerbate morbidity and mortality. However, evidence di-rectly examining the synergistic effects of obesity and aging on muscle contractile function is lacking and controversial. We recently demonstrated that diet-induced obesity significantly exacerbates contractile dysfunction in aged skeletal muscle. The focus of this review is the effects of obesity on muscle contractile dysfunction in skeletal muscle, particularly during aging.