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Association between sarcopenia and prediabetes among non-elderly US adults

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Abstract

Aim

To explore the specific association between sarcopenia and prediabetes based on large population samples.

Methods

A total of 16,116 U.S. adults aged 20–59 with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was identified from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). Sarcopenia was defined according to appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) adjusted for body mass index (BMI). Multivariable binary logistic regression models were used to ascertain odds ratios (ORs) for developing prediabetes. Stratified analyses were also performed.

Results

Prevalence of prediabetes was higher in the sarcopenia group (n = 1055) compared with the non-sarcopenia group (n = 15,061) (45.50% vs 28.74%, P < 0.001). Sarcopenia was strongly associated with an increased risk of prediabetes after full adjustment (OR = 1.21, 95CI%: 1.05, 1.39, P = 0.009). In the stratified analysis, this association remained significant independent of obesity, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. When sarcopenia subjects combined with obesity especially central obesity, the risk of prediabetes was the highest (OR = 2.63, 95CI%: 2.22, 3.11, P < 0.001). Furthermore, a greater proportion of any of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) individuals was observed in the sarcopenia group compared to the non-sarcopenia group among prediabetes population (41.72% vs 24.06%, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Sarcopenia was positively associated with prevalent prediabetes especially IGT in the non-elderly. Moreover, synergistic interactions between the sarcopenia and obesity could greatly increase the risk of prediabetes.

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Funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82104786 and 82074381), Shanghai Municipal Key Clinical Specialty (shslczdzk05401), Construction of Special Disease Alliance of Traditional Chinese Medicine in East China Region and City Level-Construction of specialty alliance of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Yangtze River Delta (ZY(2021–2023)-0302) and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Clinical Medicine (14DZ2273200). We thank all the participants in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Endocrinology, Shuguang Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China

    J. Xu, X. Han, Q. Chen, M. Cai, J. Tian, Z. Yan, Q. Guo, J. Xu & H. Lu

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  1. J. Xu
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Xu, J., Han, X., Chen, Q. et al. Association between sarcopenia and prediabetes among non-elderly US adults. J Endocrinol Invest 46, 1815–1824 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-023-02038-y

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