👤 Authors: Zhongyang Guan, Blossom C M Stephan, Mario Siervo
Sarcopenic Obesity and Risk of Incident Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Cohort Study and Landmark Analysis From the UK Biobank.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether sarcopenic obesity (SO) is associated with incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) beyond obesity or sarcopenia alone and whether associations differ by sex, age, and transitions in body composition phenotypes over time.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We studied 479,607 diabetes-free UK Biobank participants. SO was defined using handgrip strength, skeletal muscle mass-to-weight ratio, and fat mass percentage.
Cox models estimated hazard ratios (HRs). A landmark analysis (n = 53,107) examined phenotype transitions.
RESULTS
Over a median follow-up of 14.2 years, T2D developed in 32,948 participants.
SO conferred the highest risk (HR 3.54 [95% CI 3.34-3.74]), exceeding obesity alone and sarcopenia alone. Transitioning to SO (HR 2.90 [95% CI 2.07-4.07]) and persistent SO (HR 3.07 [95% CI 1.63-5.79]) both elevated risks.
CONCLUSIONS
SO was associated with higher T2D risk than obesity or sarcopenia alone, supporting integrated assessment of muscle health and adiposity in T2D risk stratification.
