Relative handgrip strength as a marker of metabolic syndrome: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) VI (2014–2015)

Abstract

PurposeMuscles play an important role in energy metabolism. Several studies have investigated the association between muscle mass and metabolic syndrome (MetS), reporting conflicting results. However, studies concerning the association between muscle strength and MetS are limited. We aimed to investigate the association between relative handgrip strength (HGS) and MetS in Korean adults.Participants and methodsWe analyzed data from 5,014 Korean adults aged ≥20 years (2,472 men and 2,542 women) who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) VI (2014–2015).ResultsThe increasing quartiles of relative HGS (defined as the sum of both hands’ HGS divided by body mass index) were inversely associated with the risk of MetS in both men and women (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.30–0.45, vs OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.14–0.27, respectively) after multivariable adjustment for age, region of residence, smoking status, heavy alcohol consumption, regular exercise, family income, and education level. On multivariable logistic regression analyses, participants with the highest relative HGS had a significant decrease in relative risk of MetS, compared with those with the lowest relative HGS. The multivariable-adjusted ORs (with 95% CIs) for MetS in quartiles 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 1.00, 0.72 (0.55–0.94), 0.34 (0.26–0.46), and 0.22 (0.15–0.32) in men and 1.00, 0.50 (0.36–0.68), 0.26 (0.17–0.40), and 0.16 (0.09–0.27) in women, respectively.ConclusionRelative HGS showed a highly significant inverse association with the risk of MetS in Korean adults, and it can be a novel biomarker for assessing the risk of MetS.

Association between Relative Handgrip Strength and Dyslipidemia in Korean Adults: Findings of the 2014–2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

“…In recent studies, relative HGS, adjusted for BMI, was inversely related to cardiometabolic risk. 12,15,22) The results of our study are consistent with this previous research. On the other hand, the relationship between absolute muscle strength and dyslipidemia remains controversial.…”

“…Relative to absolute HGS, relative HGS has stronger associations with metabolic syndrome and its component parameters, including high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), TG, fasting glucose, and BP. 12) In addition, previous reports have shown that relative HGS is negatively associated with cardiometabolic risk 14,15) and predicts cardiovascular and all-cause mortality among middle-aged and elderly people. 16) This study aimed to evaluate the association between relative HGS and dyslipidemia, and to investigate the hypothesis that low relative HGS is associated with dyslipidemia.…”

“…9) In a cross-sectional study of 5,014 Korean adults, the group with metabolic syndrome had a higher HGS than the group without metabolic syndrome. 12) Grip strength is known to be affected by weight, height, and body mass, and has a positive correlation with body mass index (BMI). 13) There is no standardized grip strength index, but previous studies have used relative HGS, which is calculated as absolute HGS divided by BMI.…”

Relative Handgrip Strength is Inversely Associated with the Presence of Type 2 <em>Diabetes</em> in Overweight Elderly Women with Varying Nutritional Status

“…A measure of three times was reported as an average. RHGS was estimated as the average value for maximum grip strength of the dominant hand divided by BMI, as previously reported (10)(11)(12)(13).…”

“…Many recent studies have established that low HGS is connected with different health outcomes including metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors. However, rather than absolute HGS, relative HGS (RHGS) adjusted for body mass index (BMI) has been proposed as an easy instrument for assessing metabolic health and cardiovascular risk in public health and clinical practice (10)(11)(12)(13).…”