Does the Combination of Metabolic Syndrome and Low Fat‐Free Mass Shorten an Individual's Disability‐Free Life? A 12‐Year Prospective Cohort Study of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES)

ABSTRACT Objective This study aims to explore the combined risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and low fat‐free mass (FFM) on an individual's disability‐free survival (DFS). Disability is defined as a composite of dementia, physical disability, and mortality. Methods Using data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study, we divided 3721 participants aged 40–69 years based on their MetS status and FFM index (FFMI) score. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and Cox regression were used to analyze differences in DFS between the four groups. Results From 108 events, MetS group had significantly shorter DFS than the non‐MetS group regardless of FFMI ( p < 0.0001). After adjusting other potential confounding variables, the MetS group had a higher risk of shortened DFS regardless of FFMI, and the MetS group with low FFMI had a 2.06‐fold increased risk compared to the non‐MetS group with high FFMI ( p < 0.001). Older age and lower income were also associated with higher risk of shorter DFS ( p < 0.001). Conclusions The combination of MetS and low FFMI contribute to a cumulative risk of shortened DFS. Community nurses can perform MetS screening and body composition assessment to predict and control the risk of developing disability over time.