Research

Hormonal

In older men without diabetes, higher insulin resistance (measured by HOMA-IR) is associated with accelerated loss of lean mass (sarcopenia) and reduced gain of fat mass over time.

If you are an older man, your metabolic health matters for your muscle mass. High insulin resistance is linked to faster muscle loss and less fat gain. Managing blood sugar and insulin sensitivity through lifestyle changes may help preserve lean muscle mass as you age, independent of physical activity levels.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Greater lean mass loss and lower fat mass gain occurred in insulin-resistant men without diabetes mellitus than in insulin-sensitive men. Insulin resistance may accelerate age-related sarcopenia.
Christine G. Lee et al. · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2011

Why this rating

Large longitudinal cohort (n=3,132), rigorous DXA measurements, and adjustment for multiple confounders (physical activity, metabolic comorbidities), though observational design prevents causal inference.

Source

Association Between Insulin Resistance and Lean Mass Loss and Fat Mass Gain in Older Men without Diabetes Mellitus

Christine G. Lee et al. · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2011

DOI 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2011.03472.x

cohort · n=3132Cited 177×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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