Remodelling of body composition surrounding the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in three longitudinal cohorts
Authors' conclusion
When evaluated through multidimensional surrogate indicators, the trajectory of type 2 diabetes involves patterns that are indicative of a rise then a fall in total body mass, persistent visceral accumulation (albeit attenuated during weight loss), and probably accelerated muscle depletion. The dynamic evolution of these proxy metrics provides novel insights for capturing the full picture of body composition remodelling.
Study context
- Population
- Participants aged ≥50 years from Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (waves 7–14), English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) (waves 2–6) and Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) (waves 2–9)74,790 for BMI analysis
- Exposure
- Incident T2D cases vs matched controls
- Outcome
- Trajectories of BMI, body roundness index (BRI) and handgrip strength (HGS) before and after T2D diagnosis
- Follow-up
- Up to 14 years surrounding diagnosis
Methodological detailsthree cohorts (HRS, ELSA, SHARE), incident cases matched 1:4 with controls on age, sex and education level, linear mixed-effects models
- Three cohorts (HRS, ELSA, SHARE)
- Incident cases matched 1:4 with controls on age, sex and education level
- Linear mixed-effects models
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Trajectories of BMI, BRI and HGS · up to 14 years surrounding diagnosis
- BMI trajectories exhibited a distinct inverted U shape, peaking ≈2-4 years prior to diagnosis
- Boplledy roundness index (BRI) showed an overall upward trend; growth in cases accelerated during weight gain and attenuated during weight loss relative to controls
- Handgrip strength (HGS) declined universally; rates of decline similar between groups in HRS and ELSA; significantly accelerated decline in cases vs controls in SHARE
- Analysed: 74,790 for BMI, 19,895 for BRI, 69,560 for HGS
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Remodelling of body composition surrounding the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in three longitudinal cohorts. Diabetologia. Published 30 June 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →