Australian researchers reveal muscle health influences diabetes risk

A team led by Australia’s Curtin University has found that people with excess body fat and poor muscle health, known as sarcopenic obesity, have a more than 3.5 times higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those with a healthy body composition, according to a recent statement from the university. The research, published in the journal Diabetes Care, analysed health data from nearly 480,000 adults over 14 years, all of whom were free of diabetes at the start of the study. The study found that people with sarcopenic obesity had a 19 per cent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who were only obese, and a 91 per cent higher risk compared to those who only had sarcopenia. Within 10 years, nearly 15 per cent of people with sarcopenic obesity developed diabetes, compared to around 11 per cent of those who were only obese and 3 per cent of those with neither sarcopenia nor obesity, the study noted. “Most people know that being overweight can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, but our findings show that muscle health is also a crucial part of this puzzle,” said lead author Guan Zhongyang, a PhD candidate at the Curtin School of Population Health. These findings contradict the common perception that diabetes risk is primarily influenced by body weight, highlighting muscle health as a key factor, Guan said, adding that the association was strongest in women and adults under the age of 60. The researchers said maintaining muscle health through regular physical activity can help control blood sugar levels and reduce the body’s resistance to insulin, which is a critical factor in type 2 diabetes.