Soo Lim
Seoul National University · Medicine
About the Lab
Professor Soo Lim's research lab focuses on the intersection of aging, metabolic health, and chronic disease prevention, with a particular emphasis on sarcopenia, obesity, and metabolic syndrome in the elderly. The lab investigates the pathophysiological mechanisms linking muscle wasting and excess adiposity to insulin resistance, cardiovascular risk, and frailty, using both clinical cohort studies and preclinical models. A key research direction involves evaluating the impact of environmental factors—such as herbicide exposure—on mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic disease. The lab also develops and tests technology-driven, patient-centered interventions, including u-healthcare systems and clinical decision support tools, to improve diabetes management in older adults.
Research Overview
Research Output Trend
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Selected Papers
15OBJECTIVE: We investigated the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity (SO) and its relationship with metabolic syndrome in a community-based elderly cohort in Korea. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In this study, 287 men and 278 women aged 65 or older were recruited. Sarcopenia was defined as the appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) divided by height squared (Ht(2)) (kg/m(2)) or by weight (Wt) (%) of <1 SD below the sex-specific mean for young adults. Obesity was defined as a visceral fat area >or=100
OBJECTIVE: The number of people with metabolic syndrome is increasing worldwide, and changes in socioenvironmental factors contribute to this increase. Therefore, investigation of changes in metabolic syndrome and its components in South Korea, where rapid socioenvironmental changes have occurred in recent years, would be foundational in setting up an effective strategy for reducing this increasing trend. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We compared the prevalence and pattern of metabolic syndrome a
Aging processes are inevitably accompanied by structural and functional changes in vital organs. Skeletal muscle, which accounts for 40% of total body weight, deteriorates quantitatively and qualitatively with aging. Skeletal muscle is known to play diverse crucial physical and metabolic roles in humans. Sarcopenia is a condition characterized by significant loss of muscle mass and strength. It is related to subsequent frailty and instability in the elderly population. Because muscle tissue is i
There is an apparent overlap between areas in the USA where the herbicide, atrazine (ATZ), is heavily used and obesity-prevalence maps of people with a BMI over 30. Given that herbicides act on photosystem II of the thylakoid membrane of chloroplasts, which have a functional structure similar to mitochondria, we investigated whether chronic exposure to low concentrations of ATZ might cause obesity or insulin resistance by damaging mitochondrial function. Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 48) were treated
The average of overweight individual can have differential fat depots in target organs or specific compartments of the body. This ectopic fat distribution may be more of a predictive factor for cardiovascular risk than obesity. Abdominal visceral obesity, a representative ectopic fat, is robustly associated with insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk. Fat depots in the liver and muscle tissue cause adverse cardiometabolic risk by affecting glucose and lipid metabolism. Pericardial fat and pe
OBJECTIVE: To improve quality and efficiency of care for elderly patients with type 2 diabetes, we introduced elderly-friendly strategies to the clinical decision support system (CDSS)-based ubiquitous healthcare (u-healthcare) service, which is an individualized health management system using advanced medical information technology. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a 6-month randomized, controlled clinical trial involving 144 patients aged >60 years. Participants were randomly assigned
Our findings are consistent with the hypothesized role of android fat as a pathogenic fat depot in the MS. Measurement of android fat may provide a more complete understanding of metabolic risk associated with variations in fat distribution.
BACKGROUND: The concept of sarcopenia has expanded recently to include muscle strength or physical performance. We investigated whether the Europe Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) definition of sarcopenia predicts the risk of all-cause mortality in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: This study included 284 men and 272 women aged 65 and older. The outcome was all-cause mortality during the 6-year follow-up period. We defined sarcopenia based on the EWGSOP definitions of
Research Areas
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