Sarcopenia is the lack of skeletal muscle mass and strength, especially in obese people and older adults. It has been assumed that sarcopenia elevates the risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) conducted an analysis to ascertain the effect of sarcopenia on insulin resistance which may be the root cause of Type 2 diabetes and blood glucose levels in both obese and non-obese people.
In order to conduct a cross-sectional analysis the investigators scrutinized the data on 14,528 people collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. The result declared the association of sarcopenia with insulin resistance in both obese and non-obese individuals. A correlation between sarcopenia and high blood-sugar levels appeared only among obese people.
Association of sarcopenia with high levels of blood sugar appeared in most obese and thin people aged 60. But the association in sarcopenia with diabetes was heightened in obese people alone. The investigators concluded that to go on a diet may not the only requirement to push down the risk of diabetes. In fact an individual should continue living fit and build good muscle mass and strength.
The study is published in the journal PLoS One.
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healthjockey.com
