Background: The aim of the present study was to assess the anthropometric characteristics and
body composition in type 1 diabetic patients and compare the results with a randomly
selected control population. Material and Methods: We studied 75 type 1 diabetic patients, 43 male and 32 female, recruited from consecutive
diagnosed type 1 diabetic patients attending the Endocrine Unit and treated with a
intensive insulin regimen, and 93 control subjects, 44 males and 49 females representative
of the census of this city. We performed a dietary recall in patients and determined
anthropometric characteristics, both in patients and controls, body weight, height,
body-mass index, waist-hip ratio and body composition parameters: total body water,
free-fat mass, body free-fat mass, fat mass and body fat by bioelectrical impedance
analyser. Results: In diabetic male patients, we observed lower waist-hip ratio than in controls, 0.84
± 0.06 vs. 0.88 ± 0.07, p = 0.021, higher free-fat mass in female diabetic patients,
48.5 ± 5.6 vs. 45.6 ± 5.9 kg, p = 0.03, lower fat mass in male diabetic patients,
9.5 ± 6.9 vs. 14.6 ± 8.5 kg, p = 0.003. We did not find any correlation among the
parameters of body composition and dietary macronutrient intake in patients. Conclusions: The present study exposes the differences in anthropometric characteristics and body
composition in type 1 diabetes mellitus, especially lower waist-hip ratio in male,
higher free-fat mass in female and lower fat mass in male.
Key words:
Body Composition - Body-Mass Index - Body Surface Area - Free-Fat Mass - Fat Mass
- Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus - Waist-Hip Ratio
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Dr. J. M. Gómez
Endocrinology Service
Ciudad Sanitaria y Universitaria de Bellvitge
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Barcelona 08028
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