title: Reduced muscle mass and accumulation of visceral fat are independently associated with increased arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine 1, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Izumo 693-8501, Japan. Electronic address: ken1nai@med.shimane-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Ken-Ichiro
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine 1, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Izumo 693-8501, Japan. Electronic address: ippei.k@med.shimane-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Ippei
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine 1, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Izumo 693-8501, Japan. Electronic address: sugimoto@med.shimane-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Toshitsugu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017698:Postmenopause; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Diabetes mellitus; Muscle mass; Obesity; Sarcopenia