A new large-scale international study led by Curtin University has found that weight and obesity are not the only factors at risk for diabetes, with muscle health also likely to play a big role in whether or not you develop diabetes.
Published in the world’s leading diabetes journal, diabetes careFor the study, researchers from the Curtin School of Population Health and Dementia Center of Excellence at the Curtin Enable Institute analyzed health data from around 480,000 adults (all of whom did not have diabetes at the start of the study) over 14 years.
The research team found that people had both excess body fat and poor muscle health. This is a condition known as. sarcopenic obesity – More than 3.5 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people with healthy body composition.
They also found that people with sarcopenic obesity were 19 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who were only obese, and 91 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who had only low muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia).
Lead author and PhD candidate Zhongyang Guan said the study results challenge the common belief that diabetes risk is primarily driven by weight.
Most people know that carrying excess weight increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, but our findings show that muscle health is also an important piece of the puzzle.
People with excess body fat and low muscle mass had a significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who were only obese.
This suggests that we need to look beyond the number on the scale when assessing diabetes risk, as maintaining strength and muscle mass may be just as important as weight management. ”
Zhongyang Guan, first author and PhD candidate
The study found that nearly 15% of sarcopenically obese people developed type 2 diabetes within 10 years, compared with about 11% of those with only obesity and only 3% of those without sarcopenia or obesity.
This association was particularly strong among women and adults younger than 60 years.
Project senior leader Professor Mario Siervo said the results supported a broader approach to diabetes prevention.
“Health professionals routinely monitor weight and obesity, and our findings suggest that assessing muscle health may help identify people at higher risk early on,” Professor Siervo said.
“As our population ages and obesity rates continue to rise, maintaining muscle health through regular physical activity and healthy lifestyle habits may play a key role in reducing the burden of type 2 diabetes.”
Jessica Weiss, Washington State Diabetes Clinical Services Manager, said the study results highlight the important role muscles play in controlling blood sugar levels and reflect what healthcare professionals have seen first-hand.
“We know that our muscles use large amounts of glucose for fuel, and exercising them during physical activity is a great way to use up glucose in the blood and help regulate blood sugar levels,” Weiss said.
“Physical activity also reduces the body’s resistance to insulin, which is a key component of type 2 diabetes.
“The more muscle we have and the more regularly we use our muscles, the better our bodies are at preventing or managing type 2 diabetes.”
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Reference magazines:
Guan, Z. Others. (2026) Sarcopenic obesity and risk of developing type 2 diabetes: a UK Biobank prospective cohort study and landmark analysis. diabetes care. DOI: 10.2337/dc26-0797. https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article-abstract/doi/10.2337/dc26-0797/172162/Sarcopenic-Obesity-and-Risk-of-Incident-Type-2
