Rosenfalck AM, Almdal T, Hilsted J, Madsbad S. Body composition in adults with Type 1 diabetes at onset and during the first year of insulin therapy.
Diabet Med 2002;
19:417-23. [PMID:
12027931 DOI:
10.1046/j.1464-5491.2002.00702.x]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
AIMS
To describe body composition in patients with Type 1 diabetes at diagnosis and during the first year after initiation of insulin therapy.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
In 10 (eight male and two female) newly onset Type 1 patients, age 31.5 +/- 3.2 years (27-37 years) (sd and range), body mass index (BMI) 20.8 +/- 1.6 (19.2-23.4) kg/m2, body composition was estimated by means of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) whole body scanning supplemented by estimation of total body water (TBW) (isotope dilution technique with 3H2O) at diagnosis and after 1, 3, 6 and 12 months of insulin therapy.
RESULTS
During the first year after onset of diabetes body weight (BW) increased 4.3 +/- 2.9 (0.1-8.3) kg (P = 0.0012) distributed as a 13.3% (1.6 kg) increase in total fat mass (FM) and 4.9% (2.5 kg) increase in lean body soft tissue mass (LBM). The self-reported weight loss at onset was 6.3 +/- 2.5 kg (1.5-10.0 kg). Compared with two reference populations the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. and a healthy age and sex-matched local DXA scanned group the initial body composition data demonstrated BW 6.2 kg below ideal weight and a significant reduction of the FM (25% or -0.87 sd), whereas LBM was within the expected range.
CONCLUSIONS
During the first year after onset of Type 1 diabetes the mean increase in BW is 6.5% with a 13.3% increase in FM and a 4.9% increase in LBM. Self-reported data on premorbid BW suggest an approximately 10% reduction in BW at onset of Type 1 diabetes. Compared with a healthy reference population initial body composition data demonstrate a 25% reduction of the FM, whereas only a minor and non-significant reduction in the LBM is encountered. These data indicate that uncontrolled diabetes is rather a fat catabolic state than, as previously believed, a protein catabolic state.
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