A Single Center Cross-sectional Study of Body Composition in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes is closely associated with obesity and is considered major risk factor for the development of T2DM. BMI is commonly used as a surrogate measure of obesity may not correspond to the Indian thin-fat phenotype that carries a much larger proportion of visceral fat. The aim of the study was to examine the body mass composition of patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Methods:

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of patients attending a diabetes clinic in Kolkata, India. Data of subjects was obtained from electronic records of 153 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) whose body composition data were available in a real-world setting. Various demographic characteristics were assessed including the body fat percentage (BF%) scale that uses bioelectrical impedance (BIA). Appropriate statistical tests were applied.

Results: In a total of 153 eligible subjects diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, age (SD) was 51.15 (±12.82) years; 84 (±54.90%) were women, bodyweight 67.85 (±14.48) kg; BF% 27.11 (±9.13) % and BMI was 23.46 (±3.61) kg/m2.  When the group is classified into three categories of BMI, 55.55 percent (85/153) of subjects were in the lean group (18.5-24.9 kg/m2); 18.95 percent (29/153) subjects in the preobese range (25-29.9 kg/m2), 7 percent (11/153) in the obese category. About 20.26 percent (31 /153) of subjects were in the overweight range of BMI. In the subjects with normal BMI, 10 percent of overall subjects and 40 percent of the men had body fat above the reference range. In the subjects of BMI range of 25-29.9 kg/m2, 29.41 percent of women and 58.33 percent of men had body fat above the reference range. In the overweight category, 65.51 percent of subjects had BF% categorized as per obese range.

Discussion/Conclusion:

It is important to measure body fat percent in patients in addition to BMI and other parameters while evaluating the diabetes patients in particular male subjects with BMI < 25 kg/m2. These parameters are valuable for evaluating high-risk individuals with diabetes and providing effective health education and behavioral intervention.