AIM Death as a result of pneumonia is an important issue in patients with diabetes. Tongue pressure is associated with swallowing function, which has a close association with aspiration pneumonia. However, no previous studies have shown the association between sarcopenia and tongue pressure in older patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In the present cross-sectional study, we investigated body composition, handgrip strength and tongue pressure. Skeletal muscle mass index (kg/m2 ) was defined as appendicular muscle mass / the square of the height. Sarcopenia was defined when both handgrip strength