Insulin therapy and body weight, body composition and muscular strength in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Aims. To determine the progression of body weight (BW) and body composition (BC) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) on insulin therapy and the consequences on muscle strength (MS) as a reflect of free fat mass increases. Research design and methods. We analysed BC using air displacement plethysmography and MS by hand grip dynamometry in 40 T2D before and after three (M3) and six months (M6) of insulin therapy. Results. at baseline HbA1c was 9.76 +/-1.6% and BW was stable with fat mass (FM) 28 +/- 10.7 kg; and fat free mass (FFM) 52.4 +/- 11 kg; at M6, HbA1c improved to 7.56 +/- 0.8%; insulin doses tended to increase. BW gain at M6 was + 3.2 +/- 4.2 kg and with an increase of only 25% by M3; it was composed of FM, whereas FFM was unchanged. MS did not increase on insulin therapy. Conclusions. In T2D, BW gain was composed exclusively of FM with no improvement in MS.