Associations of appendicular lean mass and abdominal adiposity with insulin resistance in older adults: A cross-sectional study

Loss of lean muscle mass and accumulation of adipose tissue are changes associated with aging. Previous studies have documented various components of body composition as predictors for insulin resistance. The objective of this study was to investigate whether components of body composition-appendicular lean mass (ALM) and/or abdominal fat mass (AFM)-correlate with insulin resistance in older men and women. This was a cross-sectional study of 92 older men and women. Weight was classified according to body mass index (BMI)-normal (BMI 30). All body composition data was determined by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and insulin resistance was assessed by the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Multivariable regression models with two-way interaction terms were employed to assess whether the associations between components of body composition and log HOMA varied by BMI categories. Adjusted regression showed that log HOMA was significantly associated with AFM (estimate ± standard error: 0.055 ± 0.026) and ALM (0.057 ± 0.029) for the overweight participants (p-values