Association of magnesium depletion score, triglyceride-glucose index, and C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte index with diabetic sarcopenia: a cross-sectional study based on NHANES 2014-2018 data.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the predictive performance of three novel biomarkers - magnesium depletion score (MDS), triglyceride-glucose index (TyG), and C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte index (CAL) - for diabetic sarcopenia.

METHODS

Data were obtained from 1,318 adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database (2014-2018). Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the criteria of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWGSOP2), based on skeletal muscle mass index measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry combined with grip strength and gait speed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves with area under the curve (AUC) were used to compare and analyze the predictive efficacy of MDS, TyG, and CAL for diabetic sarcopenia.

RESULTS

The prevalence of diabetic sarcopenia was 22.1%. Levels of MDS, TyG, and CAL differed significantly between the sarcopenia and non-sarcopenia groups (all P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified age, body mass index, disease duration, MDS, TyG, and CAL as independent factors associated with sarcopenia in patients with T2DM. ROC curve analysis showed that the combined model incorporating MDS, TyG, and CAL achieved an AUC of 0.925 for identifying sarcopenia.

CONCLUSION

Sarcopenia in T2DM patients is associated with baseline clinical characteristics. MDS, TyG, and CAL are independent factors associated with diabetic sarcopenia and demonstrate strong potential for its early identification.