Study Finds Adults with Excess Body Fat and Poor Muscle Health Face 3.5 Times Higher Diabetes Risk

A long-term study found that adults with both excess body fat and poor muscle health face a 3.5 times higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, The Independent reported. Researchers from Australia’s Curtin University tracked 480,000 adults for 14 years and determined that nearly 15 percent of those with the combined conditions developed the disease within a decade.

People who were obese and had muscle loss were 19 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who were obese alone and 91 percent more likely than those with only low muscle mass, the study showed.

The 15 percent rate was 4 percent higher than for obesity alone and nearly double the rate for adults without muscle loss or obesity. Women and adults under age 60 were disproportionately affected. Lead author Zhongyang Guan said the results challenge the view that diabetes risk stems mainly from body weight.

"This suggests we need to look beyond the number on the scales when assessing diabetes risk, as maintaining muscle strength and muscle mass may be just as important as managing body weight," Guan said. More than 40 million Americans live with type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at an annual cost of $640 billion to the U.S. healthcare system.

Senior researcher Mario Siervo said routine monitoring of muscle health could identify high-risk individuals earlier than weight checks alone. "Healthcare professionals routinely monitor body weight and obesity, but our findings suggest assessing muscle health could help identify people at high risk earlier," Siervo said. The study was published Tuesday.