Trends in measures of handgrip strength from 2014 to 2017 among Korean adolescents using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data

Associations of Food Insecurity with Dietary Inflammatory Potential and Risk of Low Muscle Strength

Food insecurity refers to the uncertain availability of or limited access to nutritious food. Poor diets prevalent among food insecure populations may incite an inflammatory state and subsequently negatively affect skeletal muscle metabolism. To examine the inflammatory mechanistic potential of the association between food insecurity and the risk of low muscle strength, we analyzed cross-sectional data from 8624 adults aged ≥20 years from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014-2015. Household food security status was assessed using an 18-item food security survey module. The inflammatory potential of diets was estimated by the dietary inflammation index (DII). Low muscle strength was ascertained using hand grip strength. In the multivariable-adjusted model, greater food insecurity was significantly associated with a higher DII score and risk of low muscle strength. The multivariable-adjusted mean difference (95% confidence interval) on the DII, comparing the "moderate-to-severe" food insecurity group with the "food secure" group, was 0.43 (0.06-0.80) (P-trend: <0.001) and the odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) of low muscle strength for the same comparison groups was 2.06 (1.07-3.96) (P-trend: 0.005). Our results suggest that individuals with greater food insecurity may be susceptible to diets with greater inflammatory potential, which may contribute to a loss of muscle strength.

Handgrip Strength Is Associated with Metabolic Syndrome and Insulin Resistance in Children and Adolescents: Analysis of Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014-2018

Background

Reduced handgrip strength (HGS) is associated with adverse cardiometabolic health outcomes. We examined HGS, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and insulin resistance (IR) in children and adolescents.

Methods

The following population-based data from 2,797 participants (aged 10-18 years) of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014-2018 were analyzed: complete anthropometric measures, HGS, MetS, and IR (subgroup with fasting insulin, n=555). HGS was analyzed as the combined HGS (CHGS) and the normalized CHGS (nCHGS=CHGS divided by body weight).

Results

At a mean age of 14.4 years, 276 participants (9.9%) had abdominal obesity, 56 (2.0%) had MetS, and 118 (20.9%) had IR. Individual components of MetS and IR were inversely associated with the nCHGS. The odds ratios (ORs) for MetS and IR decreased significantly with higher nCHGS after adjustment for sex, age, physical activity, and sedentary times. The optimal cut-off values that predicted MetS were 0.80 kg/kg (males) and 0.71 kg/kg (females), with significant associations with MetS (OR: 7.4 in males; 5.7 in females) and IR (OR: 3.3 in males; 3.2 in females) observed when nCHGS values were lower than those cut-offs.

Conclusion

HGS is associated with MetS and IR and might be a useful indicator of cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents.

Relationship Between Handgrip Strength and Laboratory Values in Adolescents With Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

INTRODUCTION

The worldwide prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adolescents is increasing. Measuring handgrip strength is a simple and non-invasive method for assessing sarcopenia in adolescents. However, the association between handgrip strength and laboratory values has not yet been evaluated in a clinical setting. This study proposes an association between handgrip strength and laboratory values of adolescents with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

METHODOLOGY

Data were obtained from 100 adolescents (76 males; 24 females; age, 10-18 years) who had been diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Anthropometric values and handgrip strength were measured, and blood test parameters were evaluated. The association between HGS and each laboratory value was evaluated.

RESULTS

The handgrip strength of males and females was different between the low and high alkaline phosphatase level (275 U/L) groups. Regarding the handgrip-to-body weight ratio, there was a difference between the low and high groups based on alanine aminotransferase level &lt; 24.1 U/L in males.

CONCLUSION

Handgrip strength is easy to measure in schools and clinics. This is the first study to determine the usefulness of handgrip strength in Korean adolescents with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. As more data are gathered, handgrip strength may be used to screen and manage adolescents with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.