Relationship of Handgrip Strength to Metabolic Syndrome Among Korean Adolescents 10–18 Years of Age: Results from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014–18

Abstract

Introduction:

Handgrip strength (HGS), a simple, convenient, and economic measurement of muscle strength, is known to be related to metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adults. This relationship in adolescents, however, has not been widely examined. this study investigated the relationship of MetS (as defined by the International Diabetes Federation [IDF]'s criteria) to HGS in Korean adolescents.

Materials and Methods:

This cross-sectional study analyzed data on 2802 adolescents 10–18 years of age from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2014–18, which had measured and recorded HGS, body mass index, and other parameters relevant to MetS. Normalized HGS was defined as the sum of the maximum HGS from both hands normalized per weight. Complex sample multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the relationship between HGS and MetS.

Results:

The risk of MetS decreased with increasing sex-specific quartile of normalized HGS in both boys and girls after adjustment for age (P_trend < 0.001). Higher HGS was associated with lower odds of having MetS, such that for every 5% increase of normalized HGS, the odds were decreased by factors of 0.79 (0.73–0.85) and 0.67 (0.59–0.77) for boys and girls, respectively, after age adjustment.

Conclusions:

This population-based, nationally representative study suggests that higher HGS is associated with lower risk of MetS in Korean adolescents regardless of sex.