Building muscle may lower diabetes risk
Increasing muscle mass may be helpful in decreasing the risk of developing insulin resistance, a metabolic changes that leads to type 2 diabetes.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in their new study found that every 10 percent increase in the ratio of muscle mass to total body weight called the skeletal muscle index (SMI) lowered the risk of developing insulin resistance by 11 percent.
The findings were resulted from analyzing data of 13,644 adults who took part in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III between 1988 and 1994.
The study also showed a 12 percent reduction in pre-diabetes, a condition characterized by higher-than-normal blood sugar levels, says the report published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
"Our findings represent a departure from the usual focus of clinicians, and their patients, on just losing weight to improve metabolic health," said the lead author, Dr. Preethi Srikanthan.
"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," she added.
The researchers concluded that beyond monitoring changes in waist circumference or BMI health experts should also be monitoring muscle mass to evaluate individual’s risk of developing diabetes.
However, they suggested that more studies are needed to determine the nature and duration of exercise interventions required to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism in high risk people.
Source: presstv.ir
