The Importance of Muscle Strength and Performance in Elderly Diabetics in Treatment Management

Objective: Muscle strength and performance may impair regulation of diabetes in relation to insulin resistance. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between muscle strength and performance with metabolic complications of diabetes and antidiabetic drugs, and to investigate the importance of muscle strength and performance in the management of diabetes. Method: The records of 249 diabetic patients were reviewed retrospectively. The relationship between grip strength and gait speed with lipid parameters and HbA1c values was investigated by correlation analysis. Risk factors that increased the risk of dynapenia and poor muscle performance were investigated by logistic regression analysis. Results: In our study, there was a negative correlation between grip strength and duration of diabetes, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol; and also between gait speed and triglyceride. In addition, the use of dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP-4) inhibitor decreased the risk of dynapenia, while the use of metformin reduced the risk of decreased muscle performance. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that lipid regulation is associated with better muscle functions. Therefore, lipid regulation should be ensured for better muscle functions in elderly diabetics. In addition, metformin and DPP-4 inhibitors should be preferred in the treatment of diabetes, if possible, to preserve muscle functions.