Reduced muscle mass and accumulation of visceral fat are independently associated with increased arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus

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BACKGROUND: Several studies showed that sarcopenia and visceral obesity are associated with arterial stiffness. Thus, their coexistence may be a crucial risk factor of arteriosclerosis. However, little is known about the cross relationships among muscle mass, visceral fat mass, and arterial stiffness in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
METHODS: We recruited 97 postmenopausal women with T2DM and examine the association of muscle mass and visceral fat mass with brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Relative skeletal muscle mass index (RSMI) and %trunk fat were evaluated by whole body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Subcutaneous and visceral fat areas were measured by computed tomography.
RESULTS: Multiple regression analyses adjusted for age, duration of T2DM, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, HbA1c, serum creatinine, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, uric acid, and the usage of anti-hypertensive drug showed that RSMI was negatively associated with baPWV (β=-0.40, p=0.027), while %trunk fat and visceral fat area were positively associated with it (β=0.29, p=0.004 and β=0.51, p=0.001, respectively). Moreover, after additional adjustment for RSMI, %trunk fat and visceral fat area were positively associated with baPWV (β=0.26, p=0.010 and β=0.46, p=0.003, respectively) although the association between RSMI and baPWV became marginal after additional adjustment for %trunk fat or visceral fat area (β=-0.30, p=0.146 and β=-0.30, p=0.085, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: Reduced muscle mass and increased visceral fat are independently associated with increased arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with T2DM.