Skeletal muscle potassium increases after diet and weight reduction in obese subjects with normal and impaired glucose tolerance.

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Body composition calculated from total body potassium and skeletal muscle potassium were studied in middle-aged obese men and women with normal and impaired glucose tolerance as well as Type II diabetes before and after advice on calorie reduction during twelve months. The subjects were compared with healthy lean men and women. Mean weight loss was 6.6 kg (P less than 0.05). Lean body mass and body fat decreased 2.0 kg (P less than 0.05) and 4.6 kg (P less than 0.05), respectively. Total body potassium decreased by a mean of 146 +/- 49 mmol (P less than 0.01). Obese men with Type II diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance had lower total body potassium and muscle potassium levels than obese healthy men. After dieting, the obese men and women increased their muscle potassium levels with a mean of 2.8 mmol/100 fat-free dry weight to 42.6 +/- 2.6 mmol/100 g fat-free dry weight (P less than 0.05), but they were still below the levels of the lean controls, 44.4 +/- 1.3 MMOL/100 g fat-free dry weight, (P less than 0.01). Increase in skeletal muscle potassium was correlated to decrease in body weight, r = 0.55 (P less than 0.01) and to decrease in fasting blood glucose, r = 0.42 (P less than 0.05).