July - September 2015, Volume 11, Issue 3

Craciun A, Rusu A, Craciun CI, Bala C, Roman G, Veresiu IA, Georgescu CE

Changes in Body Composition after Three Months of Insulin Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes - A Cohort Retrospective Study

Acta Endo (Buc) 2015, 11 (3): 312-318
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2015.312

Objectives. The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate weight gain at 3 months following insulin therapy initiation and to determine if it is due to fat or fat free tissue. Methods. Fifty-eight patients with T2DM and initiation of insulin therapy were evaluated. Body composition was assessed with InBody720 device (Biospace, Korea) before and 3 months after the initiation of insulin therapy. Results. The insulin therapy was initiated with basal insulin in 84.48% of the cases. The initial dose of insulin was 22.76±12.89 units/day and increased at 3 months to 30.81±18.49 units/day (p<0.001). The initial HbA1c was 9.86±2.02% and decreased to 7.58±1.19% (p<0.001). The body weight increased from 87.01±17.37 kg to 88.04±16.64 kg (p=0.026). The fat body mass and the percent of fat decreased with no statistical significance; the intracellular and extracellular body water increased significantly (intracellular: 26.30±5.96 vs. 27.26±6.16; extracellular: 16.61±3.63 vs. 17.03±3.84; p<0.001). Conclusion. During the first 3 months after initiation of insulin therapy a modest weight gain due to increase in the body water after restoration of the metabolic balance was observed.

Keywords: type 2 diabetes, insulin therapy, weight gain, fat mass, fat free mass, glycemic control, insulin.

Correspondence: Anca Craciun MD, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy - Diabetes, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases, 2 Clinicilor Street, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, 400006, Romania, E-mail: anca.craciun@umfcluj.ro