Reduced muscle mass and accumulation of visceral fat are independently associated with increased arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus

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 (beta = -0.40, p = 0.027), while % trunk fat and visceral fat area were positively associated with it (beta = 0.29, p = 0.004 and beta = 0.51, p = 0.001, respectively). Moreover, after additional adjustment for RSMI, % trunk fat and visceral fat area were positively associated with baPWV (beta = 0.26, p = 0.010 and beta = 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 (beta = -0.30, p = 0.146 and beta = -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. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.