Impact of Ethnicity on the Relationship Between Sarcopenia and Diabetes

Abstract

Objective: Several studies have established a close relationship between sarcopenia and diabetes in aging populations, but to the best of our knowledge, no studies have analyzed if a difference in this relationship exists among different ethnic groups. The main objective of this study was to determine if there is a statistically significant difference in the relationship between sarcopenia and diabetes among different ethnic groups. Materials and Methods: A literature search was performed via PubMed. After screening, 26 studies were included for a total of 62,070 individuals with diabetes, 39,825 individuals with sarcopenia, and 6,870 with both. A One-Way Analysis of Variance was performed on the sarcopenia-diabetes co-occurrence value for each group. Results: Our results show that sarcopenia and diabetes appear more prevalent in Asian populations compared to other ethnic groups at a lower body mass index; however, there is no statistically significant difference in the relationship between sarcopenia and diabetes among the Asian, Hispanic, and Caucasian groups analyzed (F=0.202, p=0.819, at α<0.05). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis supports the previously established relationship between sarcopenia and diabetes in aged populations but does not support the hypothesis that ethnicity alone is a major determining factor for the sarcopenia-diabetes relationship.