Research

Hormonal

Type 2 diabetes in older adults is associated with significantly lower skeletal muscle quality (strength per unit mass) and strength, independent of muscle mass, with effects worsening as diabetes duration and glycemic control worsen.

If you have Type 2 Diabetes, maintaining muscle mass alone may not protect your physical function. Focus on resistance training to improve muscle quality (strength relative to mass), as poor glycemic control and long duration of diabetes are linked to lower muscle quality. Regular strength training may help mitigate this risk.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Muscle quality, defined as muscle strength per unit regional muscle mass, was significantly lower in men and women with diabetes than those without diabetes in both upper and lower extremities. Furthermore, longer duration of diabetes (>6 years) and poor glycemic control (HbA1c >8.0%) were associated with even poorer muscle quality.
Seok Won Park et al. · Diabetes · 2006

Why this rating

Large population-based cohort (Health ABC), rigorous adjustment for confounders, but cross-sectional design limits causal inference.

Source

Decreased Muscle Strength and Quality in Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

Seok Won Park et al. · Diabetes · 2006

DOI 10.2337/db05-1183

cross_sectional · n=2618Cited 752×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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