Jia-Feng Chen Taiwan

Dr. Jia-Feng Chen currently serves as an Attending Physician in the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, a position he has held since 2013. Additionally, he is an Assistant Professor at the same institution and holds an adjunct assistant professor role at Sun Yat-sen University. Dr. Chen earned his medical degree from Kaohsiung Medical University in 2007 and pursued doctoral studies at the Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences at Chang Gung University starting in 2016. His medical training includes a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. He is board-certified in several specialities, including Rheumatology, Clinical Immunology, Internal Medicine, and critical care. Throughout his career, Dr. Chen has received numerous accolades, including multiple "Young Scientist Awards" from the Taiwan Rheumatology Association and recognition as an excellent teacher and service provider at his hospital. His research interests encompass clinical rheumatology, immunology, and osteoporosis.

21 MARCH

Time Session
13:30
15:00
Musculoskeletal and Skeletal Complications of Diabetes Mellitus
  • Jawl-Shan HwangTaiwan Speaker Assessing and Managing Osteoporosis in Patients with Diabetes
  • Jia-Feng ChenTaiwan Speaker Diabetes and Osteoarthritis: Metabolic Links and Clinical Implications
  • Tung-Wei KaoTaiwan Speaker Sarcopenia in Diabetes: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management Sarcopenia is emerging as a critical yet under-recognized dimension of diabetes, linking metabolic disease to progressive loss of muscle health and physical function. Beyond its traditional association with ageing, growing evidence shows that diabetes is linked to accelerated declines in muscle mass, strength, and physical performance. These changes have important clinical consequences, contributing to frailty, disability, and loss of independence. As the global burden of diabetes continues to rise, maintaining skeletal muscle health is becoming an increasingly important component of diabetes care. Recent advances in metabolic and musculoskeletal research have begun to illuminate the biological links between diabetes and accelerated muscle deterioration. Alterations in insulin signaling, ectopic fat accumulation within skeletal muscle, chronic low-grade inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction are increasingly recognized as converging pathways that compromise muscle quality and function. At the same time, new consensus frameworks—including the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2025 update—have expanded the concept from sarcopenia alone toward a broader focus on muscle health across the lifespan. Importantly, emerging clinical evidence suggests that sarcopenia in diabetes is not merely a consequence of ageing but a potentially modifiable condition. Interventions such as resistance exercise, structured physical activity, and targeted nutritional strategies have shown promising benefits in improving muscle strength and functional capacity in individuals with diabetes. As the global burden of diabetes continues to rise, understanding the bidirectional relationship between metabolic disease and skeletal muscle health is becoming increasingly relevant for clinical practice. This lecture will review current perspectives on sarcopenia in diabetes, highlighting key mechanistic insights, evolving diagnostic approaches, and the growing body of evidence supporting preventive and therapeutic strategies aimed at preserving muscle health in this high-risk population.
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