Low physical function as a risk factor for incident diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance

Data from 1790 HIV-infected and uninfected men in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) were analyzed to evaluate relationships between physical function, incident diabetes mellitus (DM) and insulin resistance among HIV-infected and -uninfected men. DM was defined in two ways, using less stringent and more stringent criteria. The 10-item Physical Functioning Scale from the Short Form-36 Health Survey measured baseline physical function. Cumulative DM incidence was highest among HIV-uninfected and HIV-infected men with low physical function. Physical function was a risk factor for DM in HIV-uninfected men and remained so after controlling for BMI, DM family history and race. Among HIV-infected men, physical function was an independent risk factor for DM using the less stringent diabetes definition. This study supports our previous findings that low physical function is an important risk factor for DM in the MACS cohort.