Changes in Fasting Plasma Glucose, HbA1c and Triglycerides Are Related to Changes in Body Composition in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the relationship between the changes in the body composition and the changes in the glycemic control as evaluated by glycemia and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the lipid metabolism parameters in adults with type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study, in which we collected data from the files of 171 patients with type 2 diabetes. The patients were followed for 6 months. Body composition (visceral fat area [VFA; cm], body fat mass [BFM, kg] and percent body fat [PBF; %] was assessed by bioelectric impedance. Delta parameters were calculated as the value of the parameter at month 0 minus the value of the parameter at month 3 or month 6.

RESULTS

All body composition parameters decreased significantly from baseline to month 3 and then to month 6. VFA decreased from 176. 26 cm2 at baseline to 151.21 cm2 at month 3 and to 146.64 cm2 at month 6. PBF decreased from 36.48% to 32.78% at month 3 and to 31.64% at month 6. BFM had a median value of 34.60 kg at baseline and decreased to 29.00 kg at month 3 and 27.95 kg at month 6. At 3 months, delta VAT and delta BFM were correlated with changes in glycemic control and lipid parameters. At 3 months only BFM remained correlated with these parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

In the population included in this analysis we showed that changes in VFA and BFM were correlated with changes in glycemic control during the 3-month follow-up period and that changes in BFM were correlated with changes in lipid parameters during the entire follow-up.