Increased 30‐s Arm Curl Frequency Can Reduce the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Older Adults: A Cohort Study From Wuhan, Central China

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to investigate the association between performance on the 30-s arm curl test and the risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in older adults. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 65 years in Wuhan were followed for up to 8 years. The primary outcome was new-onset T2DM. Cox proportional hazards regression models and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were used to evaluate the association between 30-s arm curl test performance and the risk of new-onset T2DM. Subgroup analyses were further conducted stratified by sex, age, and body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: Among the 2094 participants, the cumulative incidence of new-onset T2DM was 15.71% during the follow-up period. After adjusting for potential confounders, a higher number of repetitions in the 30-s arm curl test was significantly associated with a lower risk of T2DM (HR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.81-0.98). RCS analysis demonstrated a significantly decreased risk with increasing repetitions, particularly when the count exceeded 16. Stratified analyses showed significant associations in males and the 70-75 age group. CONCLUSIONS: Better performance on the 30-s arm curl test was associated with a reduced risk of new-onset T2DM in older adults. Upper-limb strength training may represent an important non-pharmacological strategy for mitigating T2DM risk in this population.