Excess weight increases the risk of sarcopenia in patients with multiple sclerosis

•The majority had relapsing-remitting clinical form (RRMS) and mild level of disability.•The group had excess weight according to body mass index (BMI), abdominal fat accumulation measured by waist circumference (WC), and high percentage of fat mass (% FM).•The mean age, age at diagnosis of the disease, EDSS score, waist-hip ratio (WHR), % FM obtained were significantly higher in the group at risk for sarcopenia.•Based on our results, it is suggested to evaluate nutritional status and the risk of sarcopenia in the care of patients with MS. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune neurodegenerative disease. Nutritional status influences the course of the disease, however, its relationship with sarcopenia needs further investigation. The aim of the study was to identify patients with sarcopenia and assess its association with nutritional status and the clinical course of the disease. The study assessed 110 patients submitted to evaluation of sociodemographic characteristics, level of physical activity, nutritional status, and presence of sarcopenia. The clinical course of the disease, age at onset, disease duration, disease-modifying therapy, and expanded scale of disability status (EDSS) were investigated. Mean age was 37.17 (SD = 10.60) years, disease duration was 6.29 years (SD = 4.65), with a predominance of female gender (80.90 %), relapsing-remitting clinical form (RRMS) (89.10 %) and mild level of disability (EDSS median = 1.92). The group had excess weight (53.6 %) according to body mass index (BMI) and abdominal fat accumulation measured by waist circumference (WC) (53.6 %). High percentage of fat mass ( % FM) was observed in 54.5 % and 38.2 % of the patients according to bioimpedance (BIA) and ultrasound (US), respectively. It was observed that 15.5 % were at risk for sarcopenia, which was associated with excess weight, and high % FM (p