Strong protection: muscles lower the risk of diabetes

Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for

More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.

Defined muscles not only do well on the beach in summer, they also seem to protect against diabetes.

Japanese scientists have investigated whether there is a link between muscle mass and the risk of diabetes. Their hypothesis: People with low muscle mass are more likely to develop diabetes.

Muscles need creatine

To test the hypothesis, they examined 9,667 healthy people and determined their creatinine levels. Creatinine is a breakdown product of the acid creatine. This acid is needed to provide the muscles with the energy they need. It is made in the kidneys, liver and pancreas. The breakdown product creatinine is an indicator of the existing muscle mass. The more creatinine there is in the blood, the greater the muscle mass.

In a healthy adult man under the age of 50, the normal creatinine content of the blood is 0.84 to 1.25 milligrams per deciliter of blood. For men over 50 years of age, the value is 0.81 to 1.44 mg / dl. In healthy, adult women, 0.66 to 1.09 mg / dL is considered normal.

Little creatinine, more common diabetes

The scientists followed the test subjects for an average of more than five years and measured the creatinine level in their blood at the beginning and at the end of the study. Of the participants, 287 men and 115 women developed type 2 diabetes during the study period.

The researchers noticed a connection between creatinine levels and the metabolic disease: men with a level below 0.7 mg / dl were more likely to develop diabetes than men with normal creatinine levels. The same effect was seen in women. As a result, well-developed muscles could protect against diabetes.

Weight training against diabetes

When the muscles are used, they stimulate sugar metabolism and fat burning. Both factors that counteract diabetes. Strength training also improves the muscles' insulin sensitivity. Well-trained muscles can not only reduce the risk of diabetes, but also improve existing diabetes. In addition to reducing excess weight, a balanced diet and endurance sports, strength training is another building block for the prevention and treatment of diabetes.

An earlier US study with more than 13,000 participants had already shown how great the influence of muscles is on the risk of diabetes. Accordingly, every additional percentage of muscle in the body reduces the risk of diabetes by 11 percent.

7.5 million diabetics in Germany

Diabetes mellitus is a pathological disorder of the sugar metabolism. The blood sugar level is permanently elevated in diabetics. A distinction is made between congenital type 1 diabetes and acquired type 2 diabetes. Obesity, an unhealthy diet, and a genetic predisposition are the main causes of the acquired disease. Around 7.5 million people are affected in Germany. Over 95 percent suffer from type 2 diabetes.

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