Glycemic Control and Insulin Improve Muscle Mass and Gait Speed in Type 2 Diabetes: The MUSCLES-DM Study.
OBJECTIVES
Type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for sarcopenia. Evidence on the prevention of sarcopenia using blood glucose-lowering therapy is limited. We aimed to examine the relationship between changes in glycemic control and sarcopenia and the effect of antidiabetic agents against sarcopenia in patients with type 2 diabetes.


DESIGN
We conducted an observational longitudinal study.


SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS
In total, 588 Japanese patients with diabetes of an ongoing multicenter study completed 1-year follow-up measurements for sarcopenia and clinical data.


METHODS
The data set of the Multicenter Study for Clarifying Evidence for Sarcopenia in patients with Diabetes Mellitus (the MUSCLES-DM study) was analyzed.


RESULTS
During the follow-up period, the frequency of sarcopenia marginally increased, and the means of skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), handgrip strength, and gait speed did not show any changes. However, on dividing into 5 groups depending on the degree of changes in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) value, the patients with a decrease of ≥1% in HbA1c exhibited a significant increase in SMI. Our analysis revealed similar results for gait speed but not handgrip strength. Using the multiple linear regression model, we identified that a ≥1% decrease in HbA1c value was an independent determinant of the changes in SMI and gait speed. We also determined that insulin use at baseline was an independent factor for the changes in SMI.


CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Correction of poor glycemic control and use of insulin were significantly associated with the increase in skeletal muscle mass or gait speed in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. The current finding increases our understanding of the importance of glycemic control for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and sarcopenia.
['Sugimoto|Ken|K|', 'Ikegami|Hiroshi|H|', 'Takata|Yasunori|Y|', 'Katsuya|Tomohiro|T|', 'Fukuda|Masahiro|M|', 'Akasaka|Hiroshi|H|', 'Tabara|Yasuharu|Y|', 'Osawa|Haruhiko|H|', 'Hiromine|Yoshihisa|Y|', 'Rakugi|Hiromi|H|']
D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 D005684:Gait D000085002:Glycemic Control D018737:Hand Strength D006801:Humans D007328:Insulin D008137:Longitudinal Studies D018482:Muscle, Skeletal D055948:Sarcopenia D000072797:Walking Speed
insulin muscle mass gait speed type 2 diabetes sarcopenia Hyperglycemia