Nutritional Approach to Diabetic Sarcopenia: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Purpose of the ReviewThe aim of this review is to discuss and evaluate diabetic sarcopenia (DS) and its relationship with nutrition by discussing the mechanisms of diabetic sarcopenia in detail and comprehensively reviewing the literature.Recent FindingsType 2 diabetes (T2DM) affects approximately 25% of people aged 50 years and over and indicates a significant the cost of health for the elderly. Nutrition is an important part of these treatment approaches, and in this review, the literature was comprehensively reviewed, focusing on understanding the mechanisms of DS and discussing its relationship with nutrition. A comprehensive search was conducted on Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, and PubMed from inception up to July 2024. The aim of nutritional treatment for DS is to improve muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance while improving diabetes-related metabolic risk and glucose levels. In this context, it is important to determine energy intake in individuals with DS according to calorie intake exceeding 30 kcal/kg. For these individuals, a protein intake of at least 1-1.2 g/kg/day is recommended, with an emphasis on the number and timing of meals and a nutritional pattern rich in branched chain amino acids (BCAA). In addition, it is important to adopt a diet rich in antioxidants and to choose diet patterns that contain sufficient levels of macro and micronutrients.SummaryThe Mediterranean diet model can be a good diet option for individuals with DS. Comprehensive studies in this field are needed so that clinicians can make specific dietary recommendations for DS.