Independent Association of Phase Angle with Fasting Blood Glucose and Hemoglobin A1c in Korean Type 2 Diabetes Patients

The relationship between phase angle (PhA) of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and glycemic parameters in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients has not been well studied. To evaluate the prognostic value of the PhA from BIA as a glycemic marker, we investigated the relationship of PhA with various variables such as age, body mass index (BMI), and glycemic parameters in Korean patients with type 2 DM (T2DM). We evaluated the anthropometric data, body composition, glycemic parameters, and PhA of 321 T2DM patients aged 30–83 years. The patients were classified by sex into men (n = 133) and women (n = 188). General linear models identified the independent effects of PhA after covarying for age, sex and BMI. The PhA, body cell mass (BCM), extracellular mass (ECM), lean body mass, intracellular water (ICW), extracellular water (ECW), total body water (TBW), fasting blood glucose, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of T2DM Korean patients were significantly higher in men than in women. However, fat mass, ECM/BCM, ECW/ICW, ECW/TBW, and serum insulin were significantly higher in women than in men. Statistically significant independent associations were observed between PhA and age, BCM, ECM, ECM/BCM, ICW, ECW, ECW/ICW, and ECW/TBW for both sexes. There was no significant association between PhA and BMI the patients. Glycemic parameters, such as HbA1c and fasting blood glucose were independently associated with PhA. These results suggest that PhA could be an indicator for assessing ability to control fasting blood glucose in T2DM patients in Korea.