Can Diabetes Cause Muscle Thinning Over Time ?

Diabetes is a prevalent chronic illness that affects millions of people around the world. Its effect on blood sugar levels is well known, but its effect on other aspects of the human body remains lesser-known. One such concerning aspect is muscle thinning, which affects strength, mobility, and overall quality of life. In this blog, let’s explore how diabetes causes muscle thinning, diabetes symptoms, and how treatments can prevent this.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes or diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that affects the body and makes it difficult to effectively control blood sugar levels. There are two main types of diabetes.

Type 1: Insulin-producing cells are affected by the body’s immune system. This interferes with the synthesis of insulin.

Type 2: When the body stops producing enough insulin and becomes resistant to it, blood sugar levels rise.

One hormone that is essential for enabling glucose to enter cells and converting it into energy is insulin. Muscles and other body cells may not get the energy they need if insulin stops functioning.

In addition to regulating blood sugar, diabetes may impact nerves, blood vessels, and particularly muscle tissues. Sarcopenia, or muscle thinning, is one of the many problems that may eventually develop if diabetes symptoms are not managed properly.

What Are The Signs of Muscle Thinning in Diabetes?

Early detection is crucial because muscle thinning occurs gradually. The most common signs of muscle thinning in diabetes are

1. Visible Loss of Muscle: There will be a visible loss of muscle, particularly in the thighs, legs, and arms.
2. Reduced Strength: Everyday activities like getting up from a chair, lifting objects, and climbing stairs will become difficult.
3. Balance Problems: Weak muscles cause poor balance, falls, and injuries.
4. Tiredness: Experiencing tiredness and weakness after a small physical activity.
5. Gait Changes: Some people may find it challenging to manage proper posture because of muscle weakness, while some might develop a slower walking speed.
6. Slow Recovery: Any soreness or injuries take a long healing or recovery time as a result of decreased muscle strength.

If you or people you know have any of the above signs, book an appointment with the best diabetes doctor in Coimbatore. This helps with early recognition and prevents muscle thinning in the future.

How Does Diabetes Affect Muscles?

Diabetes affects muscles in various ways, which are:

1) Chronic Inflammation

Diabetes is usually connected to low-grade inflammation. This breaks down proteins in the muscle and impairs the body’s potential to maintain muscle mass.

2) Insulin Resistance

Muscles always make use of the insulin hormone to take glucose and convert it into energy. Insulin resistance presents in people with diabetes. It affects the insulin absorption and prevents muscles from growing and repairing. Hence, muscle density will reduce gradually.

3) Hormonal Changes

Growth hormones and testosterone can be affected due to diabetes. Any decrease in these hormones may affect muscle mass and lead to muscle loss in diabetes, as these are crucial in preserving muscle mass.

4) Nerve Damage

Increased sugar levels attack the nerves that regulate muscles. Reduction in nerve signaling can cause muscle weakness in the feet and legs.

5) Physical Inactivity

Because of nerve damage, exhaustion, and pain, diabetics usually avoid working out, and as a result, muscle loss occurs.

6) Blood Flow Restrictions

Diabetes can affect circulation and blood vessels in some cases. This disrupts blood circulation, signaling that muscles only get a smaller amount of oxygen and nutrients. If diabetics engage in even smaller physical activities, it could be challenging for them to recover.

How Do Treatments Help Prevent Muscle Thinning in Diabetes?

Managing diabetes efficiently is the initial step towards preventing muscle thinning. Lifestyle changes and treatments include:

1. Resistance and Strength Training

Regular workouts, such as strength training, trigger muscle development and protect muscle mass. Exercises like weight lifting and resistance training help prevent muscle loss for people with diabetes. Along with these, simple exercises like push-ups, squats, and lunges are also recommended.

2. Blood Sugar Control

Nerve damage, hormone changes, and inflammation can be avoided if the blood sugar level is in control, so that muscle thinning won’t happen. With proper medications and regular checkups, blood sugar levels can be kept under control.

3. Hormone Therapy

In some cases, hormone fluctuations might require medical help. To preserve the density of the muscle, growth hormone and testosterone deficiencies should be addressed with proper medical intervention.

4. Balanced Nutrition

A proper diabetes diet should include the necessary protein to maintain muscle mass. To maintain muscle density, it is important to add plant-based protein, legumes, dairy products, and lean meats to the diet. The nutrients such as calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D are much needed for maintaining muscle health. Taking protein throughout your meals increases protein synthesis in your muscles.

5. Lifestyle Adjustments

The World Health Organization described that the blood sugar level can be controlled with a proper diet, cutting off alcohol, and tobacco. These lifestyle changes can be simple, but they are highly effective in maintaining muscle density.

6. Physical Therapy

Muscle weakness might cause a risk of falling, but exercises can strengthen the muscles and increase mobility. Therapists recommend going to the gym as it helps with doing daily activities independently.

7. Regular Monitoring 

Routine checkups and monitoring from the best diabetes hospital in Coimbatore help in assessing muscle health and modifying medications as required. Keeping track of muscle density can be done easily with advanced tests such as a body composition scan.

Combining the above-mentioned techniques with proper diabetes care helps avoid atrophy (muscle thinning) and leads to a healthier life.

Conclusion

Muscle thinning is a result of diabetes weight loss. Losing muscle density can be due to several reasons, such as poor blood circulation, nerve and hormone damage, insulin resistance, reduced physical activity, and chronic inflammation.

Thus, recognizing the earlier signs of muscle loss and adopting comprehensive approaches, including balanced nutrition, blood sugar control, resistance training, and professional guidance, can be very beneficial. By taking diabetes seriously, future complications, particularly muscle thinning, can be avoided.