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More Muscle Could Reduce Diabetes Risk
Fri, 29 Jul 2011
Increasing your body’s muscle mass may lower your risk of developing diabetes, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) analysed data from 13,644 individuals who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III) to determine whether there was a correlation between higher levels of skeletal muscle mass and lower levels of insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes .

After taking into account age, race and other factors, the scientists found that for each 10 per cent increase in the skeletal muscle index (the ratio of muscle mass to total body weight) there was a corresponding 11 per cent decline in insulin resistance and a 12 per cent reduction in pre-diabetes.

Professor Preethi Srikanthan, senior author of the study, said: "Our findings represent a departure from the usual focus of clinicians, and their patients, on just losing weight to improve metabolic health. Instead, this research suggests a role for maintaining fitness and building muscle."

"This is a welcome message for many overweight patients who experience difficulty in achieving weight loss, as any effort to get moving and keep fit should be seen as laudable and contributing to metabolic change."

The study is published in the September issue of The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
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