Muscular Fitness Components in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes: A Cross‐Sectional Study

AIMS: We aimed to determine whether muscular fitness, focussing on power-related components, is reduced in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) compared with the group without T1D. METHODS: Adults with T1D and healthy controls were enroled in the study. Muscular fitness was evaluated using Handgrip strength (HG), knee extensor isometric maximal torque (PeakT), and 10-repetition sit-to-stand (STS). Moreover, the specific power index of the lower limb was obtained from the ratio between STS and skeletal muscle mass. RESULTS: Sixty-seven individuals with T1D (32 females, 35 males; age: 38.9 ± 14.6 years) were matched for age, sex, body mass index and physical activity level with a non-diabetic Control Group (CG, n = 67). The T1D group was significantly slower than the control group (CG) during the STS test (20.2 ± 3.8 vs. 18.6 ± 3.3 s, p < 0.01) and exhibited a lower specific power (5.3 ± 1.2 vs. 5.9 ± 1.3 W/kg, p < 0.01). No significant differences were observed in HG and PeakT (p > 0.05) between the T1D and CG groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adults with T1D show a reduction in dynamic muscle function (STS), whereas isometric function appears to be preserved.