Association of handgrip strength and CT-derived body composition with insulin resistance in women with prediabetes and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the associations of handgrip strength and CT-derived muscle and visceral fat indices with insulin resistance in middle-aged women with prediabetes and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 44 women aged 40-60 years attending a tertiary endocrinology clinic. Participants were classified according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA, 2022) criteria as having prediabetes (n = 29) or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (n = 15). All participants underwent anthropometric assessment, biochemical testing, L3-level CT imaging for visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and psoas muscle measurements, and handgrip strength evaluation using a digital dynamometer. Insulin resistance was assessed using the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to identify independent factors associated with HOMA-IR.

RESULTS

Dominant-hand grip strength demonstrated an inverse association with HOMA-IR (β = -0.297, p = 0.033). VAT volume and BMI were not significantly associated with HOMA-IR after adjustment (p > 0.75). The overall model explained 28% of the variance in HOMA-IR (R2 = 0.28; adjusted R2 = 0.14). Psoas muscle thickness showed a borderline inverse relationship with HOMA-IR (p = 0.079).

CONCLUSION

In this cohort of women with early glucose dysregulation, handgrip strength was independently associated with insulin resistance, whereas visceral adiposity was not. These findings suggest that muscle performance may represent a clinically relevant correlation of early metabolic impairment. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the temporal relationships.