Accelerated Loss of Skeletal Muscle Strength in Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

It has been shown that adults with either long-standing type 1 or type 2 diabetes had lower skeletal muscle strength than nondiabetic adults in cross-sectional studies. The aim of the study was to investigate longitudinal changes of muscle mass and strength in community-dwelling older adults with and without type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We examined leg and arm muscle mass and strength at baseline and 3 years later in 1,840 older adults aged 70-79 years in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. Regional muscle mass was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, and muscle strength was measured using isokinetic and isometric dynamometers.

Older adults with type 2 diabetes (n = 305) showed greater declines in the leg muscle mass (-0.29 +/- 0.03 vs. -0.23 +/- 0.01 kg, P