OBJECTIVE: We examined prevalence of sarcopenia in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes and compared body compositional parameters between subjects with and without type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS) included 810 subjects (414 patients with diabetes and 396 control subjects) who were examined using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Prevalence of sarcopenia was defined using the skeletal muscle index (SMI). RESULTS: Prevalence in patients with diabetes and in the control group was 15.7 and 6.9%, respectively. In both men and women, SMI values were significantly decreased in patients with diabetes compared with subjects without diabetes. Furthermore, multiple logistic regression analysis showed that type 2 diabetes was independently associated with sarcopenia. CONCLUSIONS: Type 2 diabetes was associated with increased risk of sarcopenia. These characteristics may contribute to physical disability and metabolic disorders in older adults with diabetes.

Kim TN, et al. J Bone Metab. 2013 May;20(1):1-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.11005/jbm.2013.20.1.1