title: Elderly subjects with type 2 diabetes show altered tissue electrical properties.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present research was to show the characteristics of body composition in a sample of elderly subjects with type 2 diabetes compared with healthy controls matched by age and body mass index (BMI) by bioelectrical impedance vector analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 144 free-living patients (84 women and 60 men) with type 2 diabetes 60 to 84 y old and 209 age-matched controls (116 women and 93 men). Anthropometric measurements (weight; height; upper arm, hip, waist, and calf circumferences; biceps; triceps; and subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds) were taken. Blood samples for the assessment of plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin were collected. The BMI, upper arm muscular area, and waist-to-hip ratio were calculated. Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis was applied. The analysis was performed in the entire diabetic sample and the healthy BMI-matched groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with healthy subjects, patients had greater weight (P < 0.01 in women), higher BMI (P < 0.01 in women), smaller muscular area (P < 0.01 in men), and thicker skinfolds (P < 0.01 in women and men). Female and male patients showed larger phase angles (P < 0.01). Moreover, female patients showed a shorter vector length and lower resistance (P < 0.01) and male patients showed a higher reactance (P < 0.01). The BMI-matched analysis confirmed that patients were characterized by larger phase angles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older patients with type 2 diabetes were characterized by peculiar anthropometric and bioelectrical patterns, which can be related to their smaller appendicular muscular area and lower extracellular/intracellular water ratio.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Biology, Anthropological Science Section, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buffa
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Saragat
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Succa
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruggiu
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carboni
authors.forename: Paolo F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Putzu
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marini
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000209:etiology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio; D014883:Water-Electrolyte Imbalance / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin