More Muscles Lower the Risk of Diabetes... "Consistent Exercise Needed"

Professor Jae-Hyung Park's Research Team at Gangbuk Samsung Hospital

A study has revealed that the greater the muscle mass, the lower the likelihood of developing diabetes, and that it has a positive effect on blood sugar control in diabetic patients.

[Image provided by Pixabay]

Kangbuk Samsung Hospital announced on the 29th that a research team led by Professor Park Jae-hyung from the Department of Orthopedics published these findings.

The research team measured the Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI) of 372,399 adults who underwent health checkups between 2016 and 2018 by assessing their muscle mass.

The team divided the subjects into four groups: ▲ Low muscle group (SMI ≤ 28.32) ▲ Normal muscle group (28.32 < SMI ≤ 30.76) ▲ High muscle group (30.76 < SMI ≤ 33.01) ▲ Very high muscle group (SMI > 33.01), and compared the correlation between muscle mass and diabetes incidence among these groups.

As a result, higher muscle mass was associated with decreased diabetes incidence, glycated hemoglobin, and insulin resistance. Notably, the reduction in diabetes-related factors with increasing muscle mass was more pronounced in individuals aged 50 and above, males, and those with a BMI of 25 kg/㎡ or higher.

While previous studies have shown that greater muscle mass reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes, there had been no detailed reports specifically focused on Koreans.

Professor Park Jae-hyung of Kangbuk Samsung Hospital’s Department of Orthopedics stated, "This study confirmed that an increase in muscle mass alone can reduce diabetes incidence, glycated hemoglobin, and insulin resistance. It also suggests that preventing sarcopenia in the elderly population can lead to a decrease in the incidence of diabetes and metabolic syndrome." He advised, "It is necessary to prevent muscle strength loss through regular exercise."

Meanwhile, this study was published in the October issue of the international journal in the field of diabetes/metabolic disease research, Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews.

Professor Jae-Hyung Park, Department of Orthopedics, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. [Photo by Kangbuk Samsung Hospital]

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