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. 2016 Feb;24(2):476-82.
doi: 10.1002/oby.21328. Epub 2015 Dec 23.

Myosteatosis increases with aging and is associated with incident diabetes in African ancestry men

Iva Miljkovic  1 , Allison L Kuipers  1 , Ryan Cvejkus  1 , Clareann H Bunker  1 , Alan L Patrick  2 , Christopher L Gordon  3 , Joseph M Zmuda  1
Affiliations

Myosteatosis increases with aging and is associated with incident diabetes in African ancestry men

Iva Miljkovic et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2016 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: Skeletal muscle fat infiltration (known as myosteatosis) is greater in African compared with European ancestry men and may play an important role in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, prospective studies examining the magnitude of changes in myosteatosis with aging and their metabolic consequences are sparse.

Methods: Longitudinal changes in peripheral quantitative computed tomography measured calf myosteatosis [intermuscular fat (mm(2) ) and skeletal muscle density as a measure of intramuscular fat (mg/cm(3) )] were examined in 1515 Afro-Caribbean men aged 40+ years recruited without regard to their health status.

Results: During an average of 6.2 years of follow-up, an age-related increase in intermuscular fat and a decrease in skeletal muscle density were observed (all P < 0.0001), which remained significant in those who lost weight, gained weight, or remained weight stable (all P < 0.0001). In addition, muscle density loss accelerated with increasing age (P < 0.0001). Increased intermuscular fat during follow-up was associated with an increased incident risk of T2D independent of factors known to be associated with T2D (odds ratios per 1-SD increase in intermuscular fat = 1.29; 95% CI = 1.08-1.53).

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that both inter- and intramuscular fat increase with advancing age and that intermuscular fat contributes to development of T2D among African ancestry men.

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Figures

Figure 1a
Figure 1a
Calf inter-muscular fat at baseline and at follow-up among African ancestry men by weight-change categories among African ancestry men
Figure 1b
Figure 1b
Calf skeletal muscle density at baseline and at follow-up among African ancestry men by weight-change categories among African ancestry men
Figure 2a
Figure 2a
Calf inter-muscular fat at baseline and at follow-up among African ancestry men without diabetes at baseline
Figure 2b
Figure 2b
Calf skeletal muscle density at baseline and at follow-up among African ancestry men without diabetes at baseline
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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