Japanese radio calisthenics prevents the reduction of skeletal muscle mass volume in people with type 2 diabetes

Non-Pharmacological Strategies for Managing Sarcopenia in Chronic Diseases

This article focuses on a range of non-pharmacological strategies for managing sarcopenia in chronic diseases, including exercise, dietary supplements, traditional Chinese exercise, intestinal microecology, and rehabilitation therapies for individuals with limited limb movement. By analyzing multiple studies, the article aims to summarize the available evidence to manage sarcopenia in individuals with chronic diseases. The results strongly emphasize the role of resistance training in addressing chronic diseases and secondary sarcopenia. Maintaining the appropriate frequency and intensity of resistance training can help prevent muscle atrophy and effectively reduce inflammation. Although aerobic exercise has limited ability to improve skeletal muscle mass, it does have some positive effects on physical function. Building upon this, the article explores the potential benefits of combined training approaches, highlighting their helpfulness for overall quality of life. Additionally, the article also highlights the importance of dietary supplements in combating muscle atrophy in chronic diseases. It focuses on the importance of protein intake, supplements rich in essential amino acids and omega-3, as well as sufficient vitamin D to prevent muscle atrophy. Combining exercise with dietary supplements appears to be an effective strategy for preventing sarcopenia, although the optimal dosage and type of supplement remain unclear. Furthermore, the article explores the potential benefits of intestinal microecology in sarcopenia. Probiotics, prebiotics, and bacterial products are suggested as new treatment options for sarcopenia. Additionally, emerging therapies such as whole body vibration training, blood flow restriction, and electrical stimulation show promise in treating sarcopenia with limited limb movement. Overall, this article provides valuable insights into non-pharmacological strategies for managing sarcopenia in individuals with chronic diseases. It emphasizes the importance of a holistic and integrated approach that incorporates exercise, nutrition, and multidisciplinary interventions, which have the potential to promote health in the elderly population. Future research should prioritize high-quality randomized controlled trials and utilize wearable devices, smartphone applications, and other advanced surveillance methods to investigate the most effective intervention strategies for sarcopenia associated with different chronic diseases.

Three-year trajectories of social networks, face-to-face interactions, and non-face-to-face interactions among community-dwelling older adults in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic: Otassha study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the trajectories of social networks and interactions among older Japanese individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

STUDY DESIGN

We used data from a cohort of community-dwelling older individuals from the Otassha study's 2019-2022 survey. Participants comprised 606 older individuals who participated in the 2019 survey and were followed up at least once.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Social networks were assessed using the Lubben Social Network Scale-6 (LSNS-6), whereas social interactions were assessed by the frequency of face-to-face or non-face-to-face contact with non-resident family members and friends. Trajectories of the LSNS-6 and face-to-face and non-face-to-face interactions were identified using group-based semiparametric mixture modeling. The trajectories of change in the LSNS-6 from 2019 were also identified. The factors associated with the changes in trajectory patterns were examined using logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Three LSNS-6 trajectories were identified, with slightly decreasing patterns over time. Specifically, face-to-face interactions tended to decrease over time, whereas non-face-to-face interactions exhibited almost no change. The reduction in LSNS-6 in the decreased pattern failed to recover to its pre-pandemic level. The group of participants with the decreased pattern had a significantly higher proportion of people participating in group activities [odds ratio (95 % confidence interval): 2.27 (1.12-4.59)] and performing calisthenics twice a week than the group with the maintained pattern [2.08 (1.18-3.68)].

CONCLUSIONS

During the three years of the pandemic, no changes were observed in the social networks of community-dwelling older Japanese individuals.

Prognostic value of creatinine-to-cystatin c ratio in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cohort study

BACKGROUND

The serum creatinine-to-cystatin C ratio (Scr/Scys) has been suggested as a surrogate marker of muscle mass and a predictor of adverse outcomes in many diseases. However, the prognostic value of Scr/Scys in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is unknown. The aim of this study is to assess the prognostic value of Scr/Scys in patients with T2DM.

METHODS

In this retrospective observational study, we enrolled 3668 T2DM patients undergoing coronary angiography (CAG). Serum creatinine (Scr) and serum cystatin C (Scys) levels were measured at admission. The study population was separated into low muscle mass (low-MM) and normal muscle mass (normal-MM) groups by Scr/Scys cut-off point. The association between muscle mass and long-term all-cause mortality was examined using Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 4.9 (3.0-7.1) years, a total of 352 (9.6%) patients died. The mortality was higher in patients with low-MM as compared with patients with normal-MM (11.1% vs. 7.3%; p < 0.001). Low muscle mass was associated with increased risk for long-term all-cause mortality, regardless of whether Scr/Scys were used as a continuous variable (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.08 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03 to 1.13]; p = 0.009) or a categorial variable (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.36 [95% CI 1.03 to 1.75]; p = 0.021).

CONCLUSION

Low muscle mass assessed by Scr/Scys was associated with increased risk of long-term all-cause mortality in diabetic patients.

Perceptions of exercise and exercise instruction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and sarcopenia : a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Exercise plays a major role in helping patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and sarcopenia to increase muscle mass and muscle strength. However, little is known about perceptions of exercise and exercise instruction in these patients. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of exercise and exercise instruction from the patient's perspective.

METHODS

In a descriptive qualitative study, semi-structured face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and sarcopenia at a tertiary hospital. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines were followed to ensure rigor in the study. The interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis method.

RESULTS

Four themes and 13 sub-themes were identified in this study. The four themes were knowledge-attitudes-practices surrounding exercise, motivators and barriers regarding exercise, and attitudes towards professional exercise instruction.

CONCLUSION

This study provides a detailed understanding of the knowledge-attitudes-practices, motivators and barriers regarding exercise among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and sarcopenia, as well as attitudes related to exercise instruction. The current findings can guide healthcare professionals, patients' families, and policymakers to motivate patients to be physically active through policy initiatives and other types of incentives and programmes, such as providing more health education and holistic support, increasing family and friends' companionship and care, and providing suitable exercise conditions.

Effect of short-term acute moderate-intensity resistance exercise on blood glucose in older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and sarcopenia

AIM

To investigate the effects of short-term acute moderate-intensity resistance exercise on blood glucose in older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and sarcopenia using ambulatory glucose monitoring technology.

METHODS

This is a prospective intervention of an own-controlled before-and-after cohort study. A total of 24 older type 2 diabetes mellitus patients who met the enrollment criteria were selected, including 12 cases in the sarcopenia and 12 in the non-sarcopenia groups. First, they wore ambulatory glucose monitoring devices (Medtronic, Ipro2) and retained baseline data. Then they wore Ipro2 again and carried out two sessions of resistance exercise on alternate days. Blood glucose level, blood glucose fluctuation, and time in target range on the contrast and exercise days were compared and analyzed in both groups.

RESULTS

The area under the curve of glucose level across 24 h and the mean blood glucose post exercise decreased (P < 0.05) in the sarcopenia group. On the exercise day, the coefficient of variation of glucose, the largest amplitude of glycemic excursions, amplitude of postprandial glucose excursions and low blood glucose index decreased, whereas the time in target range increased (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Short-term acute moderate-intensity resistance exercise is an effective and safe exercise modality, which can reduce blood glucose levels, blood glucose fluctuations and the risk of hypoglycemia, as well as improve the time in target range for older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and sarcopenia. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; ••: ••-••.

Eating Speed Is Associated with the Presence of Sarcopenia in Older Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study of the KAMOGAWA-DM Cohort

To determine the relationship between eating speed and the presence of sarcopenia in older patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), in this cross-sectional study, patient eating speeds were classified as “fast-”, “normal-” and “slow-speed eating.” A multifrequency impedance analyzer was used to evaluate patient body compositions. Sarcopenia was defined as having both low muscle strength, a handgrip strength <28 kg for men and <18 kg for women, and low skeletal muscle mass as a skeletal muscle mass index <7.0 kg/m² for men and <5.7 kg/m² for women. Among 239 individuals, the frequencies of fast-, normal-, and slow-speed eating were 47.3%, 32.2%, and 20.5%, respectively; and the prevalence of sarcopenia was 15.9%. Patients with a slow eating speed had greater prevalence of low skeletal muscle mass, low muscle strength, and sarcopenia than those with a fast or normal eating speed. After adjusting for covariates, compared to slow eaters, the odds ratio of having sarcopenia among fast- and normal-speed eaters was 0.31 [95% CI: 0.12–0.80] and 0.18 [95% CI: 0.06–0.53], respectively. Having a slow eating speed is associated with a heightened risk of sarcopenia in older patients with T2D.

Relationship between eosinophils counts and muscle mass decline in older people with type 2 diabetes: A prospective study of the KAMOGAWA-DM cohort

Sarcopenia has become an important issue in older individuals with type 2 diabetes. However, no previous studies investigated the relationship between eosinophil count and muscle mass decline. In this prospective cohort study, we aimed to investigate this relationship in older people with type 2 diabetes. Impedance body composition was used to assess body composition and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI, kg/m²) was calculated as appendicular muscle mass (kg)/height squared (m²). The decrease in SMI (kg/m² per year) was calculated as (baseline SMI [kg/m²] - follow-up SMI [kg/m²]) divided by the follow-up period (years). The rate of SMI decrease (%) was calculated as follows: (decrease in SMI [kg/m² per year] ÷ baseline SMI [kg/m²]) × 100; muscle mass decline was defined as the rate of SMI decrease of ≥0.5%. Complete blood counts, including eosinophil counts, were also measured. Among 141 participants, 54.6% experienced muscle mass decline during mean (standard deviation)19.4 (7.3) months of follow-up. The eosinophil counts of participants with muscle mass decline were higher than those of participants without muscle mass decline (216.5 [147.8] vs. 158.6 [113.1] cells/mm³, p = 0.004). Eosinophil counts were negatively associated with the rate of SMI decrease according to Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (r = 0.182, p = 0.031). According to logistic regression analyses, there was the relationship between eosinophil counts and incident muscle mass decline after adjusting for covariates (odds ratio of Δ 1 incremental of logarithm (eosinophil counts) 2.04 (95% confidence interval 1.15-3.61, p = 0.011). This study showed that eosinophil counts are associated with incident muscle mass decline. If an individual with type 2 diabetes has high eosinophil counts in blood tests, then it is necessary to pay more attention to the possibility of progression of muscle atrophy.

Association of Health Literacy with the Implementation of Exercise during the Declaration of COVID-19 State of Emergency among Japanese Community-Dwelling Old-Old Adults

Health literacy is important for promoting and maintaining good health in old-old adults. It may influence the implementation of exercise in the coronavirus disease epidemic. The present cross-sectional study investigated the association of each dimension of health literacy with the implementation of exercise during the declaration of a state of emergency due to coronavirus disease in community-dwelling old-old adults. We collected data from 483 community-dwelling old-old adults (52.8% women) aged between 77 and 99 years who participated in a mail survey. Participants were divided into exercise or nonexercise groups based on the implementation of exercise during the declaration of a state of emergency. Health literacy was assessed using a 14-item health literacy scale. There were 327 (67.7%) participants in the exercise group and 156 (32.3%) in the nonexercise group. A significantly higher score of health literacy was observed in the exercise group than in the nonexercise group (communicative health literacy score = 14.0 ± 3.6 vs. 12.7 ± 3.8, p = 0.001). In a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for potential confounders, high communicative health literacy scores were significantly associated with the implementation of exercise during the declaration of a state of emergency (odds ratio = 1.88, 95% confidence interval = 1.20–2.93). Approximately two-thirds of community-dwelling old-old adults implement exercise during the declaration of a state of emergency. High communicative health literacy was associated with the implementation of exercise during this period.

Heat-related illness risk and associated personal and environmental factors of construction workers during work in summer

Heat-related illness (HRI) is a common occupational injury, especially in construction workers. To explore the factors related to HRI risk in construction workers under hot outdoor working conditions, we surveyed vital and environmental data of construction workers in the summer season. Sixty-one workers joined the study and the total number of days when their vital data during working hours and environmental data were recorded was 1165. Heart rate with high-risk HRI was determined using the following formula: 180 − 0.65 × age. As a result of the logistic regression analysis, age, working area, maximum skin temperature, and heart rate immediately after warming up were significantly positively related, and experience of construction was significantly negatively related to heart rate with high-risk HRI. Heart rate immediately after warming up may indicate morning fatigue due to reasons such as insufficient sleep, too much alcohol intake the night before, and sickness. Asking morning conditions may lead to the prevention of HRI. For occupational risk management, monitoring of environmental and personal conditions is required.

Sarcopenia Is Associated With a Risk of Mortality in People With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

BACKGROUND

Sarcopenia has reportedly been associated with increased risk of mortality in general populations. However, few studies have investigated the association between sarcopenia and mortality in older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). This study aimed to investigate the effect of sarcopenia on incident all-cause mortality in older people with T2D.

METHODS

Low muscle strength were set at handgrip strength <28 kg for men and <18 kg for women, and low skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), evaluated using the impedance body composition analyzer, were set at SMI <7.0 kg/m² for men and <5.7 kg/m² for women. People who had both low muscle strength and low SMI were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Due to a low incidence of all-cause mortality, the propensity score was used. The propensity score was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression models with the following parameters: age, sex, duration of diabetes, history of heart disease, history of cancer, smoking, exercise, alcohol, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, insulin, corticosteroid, hypertension, body mass index, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c, triglycerides, and creatinine, and the C-statistic was 0.89.

RESULTS

In this prospective cohort study, 396 people with an average age and duration of diabetes of 71.3 (6.3) years and 16.3 (11.3) years, respectively, were included. Of those included, 14.6% had sarcopenia. During the average 40.5 (16.5) months of follow-up, 13 people (6 out of the 338 without sarcopenia and 7 out of the 58 with sarcopenia) died. Incident rate were 5.1/1000 person years of follow-up in people without sarcopenia and 41.3/1000 person years of follow-up in people with sarcopenia. According to Cox regression analysis, sarcopenia was associated with all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio: 6.12, 95% confidence interval: 1.52-24.7, p = 0.011).

CONCLUSION

Sarcopenia is associated with incident all-cause mortality in older outpatients with T2D.

Effect of Exercise Habit on Skeletal Muscle Mass Varies with Protein Intake in Elderly Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Exercise has been reported to be effective in maintaining and recovering muscle; however, the effect of exercise combined with adequate or inadequate protein intake on muscle mass is not clear. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of exercise habit on changes in muscle mass, with adequate or inadequate protein intake. This retrospective cohort study included 214 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes. The rate of skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) change (%) was defined as ((SMI at follow-up minus SMI at baseline)/(follow-up years [kg/m²/year] × SMI at baseline [kg/m²])) × 100. Adequate protein intake was defined as protein intake ≥1.2 g/kg ideal body weight/day. During a mean follow-up duration of 18.0 (7.1) months, the rate of SMI change was −1.14 (4.10)% in the whole sample. The rate of SMI change of non-habitual exercisers with inadequate protein intake, habitual exercisers with inadequate protein intake, non-habitual exercisers with adequate protein intake, and habitual exercisers with adequate protein intake was −1.22 (3.71), −2.31 (3.30), −1.88 (4.62), and 0.36 (4.29)%, respectively. Compared with patients with exercise habit and adequate protein intake, the odds ratio for decreasing SMI was 2.50 (0.90–6.90, p = 0.078) in patients with no exercise habit and inadequate protein intake, 3.58 (1.24–10.4, p = 0.019) in those with exercise habit and inadequate protein intake, and 3.03 (1.27–7.22, p = 0.012) in those with no exercise habit and adequate protein intake, after adjusting for covariates. Therefore, exercise habit without adequate protein intake was associated with an increased risk of decreasing SMI compared with exercise habit with adequate protein intake.