Trajectories of Body Mass Index and Risk for Diabetes Complications and All-Cause Mortality in Finnish Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Abstract

Objective We aimed to assess how longitudinal body mass index (BMI) trajectories are associated with diabetes complications and all-cause mortality in Finnish patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods In this cohort study, electronic health records from public primary and specialized healthcare services in all 13 municipalities of North Karelia, Finland, were utilized. This study included a total of 889 adults with newly diagnosed T2D in 2011 or 2012 (mean age at baseline 62.0 years). Individual BMI trajectories from the T2D diagnosis until 2014 were estimated and grouped by growth mixture modeling (GMM). Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for microvascular complications, macrovascular complications, any diabetes complications, and all-cause mortality from 2015 to 2022 across BMI trajectory groups were estimated using Cox regression models. Results Three distinct BMI trajectory groups were identified using GMM and labeled as follows: “stable” (n = 774, 87.1%), “decreasing” (n = 87, 9.8%), and “increasing” (n = 28, 3.1%). During a median follow-up of 8 years, there were 119 (13.3%) patients with microvascular complications, 187 (21.0%) with macrovascular complications, 258 (29.0%) with any diabetes complications, and 180 (20.2%) deaths. Compared with the “stable” BMI, the “increasing” BMI was associated with an increased risk of microvascular complications (HR = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.32 to 6.28), macrovascular complications (HR = 2.52, 95% CI: 1.17 to 5.43), and any diabetes complications (HR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.16 to 4.20). The “decreasing” BMI was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.14 to 3.15), compared to the “stable” BMI. Conclusion Our findings underscore the significance of continuous BMI monitoring and weight management in patients with T2D. Tailored treatments are crucial for efficiently preventing weight gain and reducing the risk of diabetes complications.

Dysregulated Skeletal Muscle Myosin Super-relaxation and Energetics in Type II Diabetes

“…As skeletal muscle makes up around 40% of whole-body mass, even small changes in the energy consumption of this tissue can have significant consequences for whole-body energy expenditure 46 . This is particularly interesting as patients with T2DM have been demonstrated to lose weight to a lesser extent than overweight, non-diabetic, controls, even when placed on matched weight management interventions 47, 48 . Future studies in this field should focus on the whether resting myosin SRX/OFF state is altered in obesity without the background of T2DM and whether dynamic changes to myosin conformation occur following weight loss and/or gain.…”