Abstract P151: Increased Gain of Skeletal Muscle Adiposity in Middle-Aged African Caribbean Men With Type 2 Diabetes

While type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a known risk factor for the acceleration of muscle loss with aging, less is known about the impact of T2D on skeletal muscle fat infiltration (i.e., myosteatosis) and overall adiposity. Myosteatosis increases with aging, is greater in African as compared to European ancestry individuals, and plays an important role in the development of T2D. Thus, we investigated the association of T2D with changes in body adiposity distribution, with a particular interest in myosteatosis. T2D was identified by self-report, use of hypoglycemic agents, or fasting glucose levels of ≥ 126 mg/dL. Longitudinal changes in computed tomography-measured calf skeletal muscle density [as an inverse surrogate measure of intramuscular adiposity (mg/cm 3 )] and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-measured regional and whole body fat were examined by T2D status over an average of 6 years in 724 African-Caribbean men aged 40-54 years from the Tobago Health Study. Total body, arm, leg, and trunk adiposity increased to a significantly greater extent among men without compared to with T2D. In contrast, men with T2D had a 1.6 times greater decrease in calf skeletal muscle density compared with their non-diabetic counterparts (p=0.03). T2D is associated with lower gains in general adiposity, but an increased gain in skeletal muscle adiposity among middle aged African Caribbean men. Our novel findings suggest that middle-aged African Caribbean men with T2D might be at especially high risk for increased gain of myosteatosis. Interventions targeted for men in this age group could focus on controlling diabetes, slowing myosteatosis, and promoting healthy aging.