Association Between Phase Angle and HbA1c in Non-elderly Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-sectional...

Objective This study investigated the association between the phase angle (PhA), a marker of cellular health and body composition quality, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), an indicator of glycemic control, in non-elderly (<65 years old) patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods This cross-sectional study included 167 non-elderly T2DM patients. The participants were categorized into tertiles (low, middle, and high) based on their PhA values. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between PhA tertiles and controlled HbA1c levels (defined as <7.0%) after adjusting for potential confounders, such as the age, sex, body mass index, waist circumference, and number of anti-diabetic medications used by the study participants. Results HbA1c levels were significantly lower in the middle (8.41%±2.06%) and high (8.35%±1.77%) PhA tertiles than in the low tertile (9.58%±2.86%). After adjusting for confounders, the odds ratios for achievement of controlled HbA1c in the middle and high PhA tertiles, compared with the low tertile, were 2.338 (95% confidence interval 1.006-5.432) and 2.666 (1.071-6.636), respectively. Furthermore, when analyzed as a continuous variable, PhA remained a significant and independent predictor of controlled HbA1c level. Conclusion PhA appears to be a useful independent indicator of glycemic control in non-elderly patients with T2DM. This non-invasive marker could contribute to the development of personalized therapeutic strategies that consider the cellular health and muscle quality.