Abstract 33: Handgrip Strength is Associated With Insulin Resistance in US Adolescents: Experience in NHANES 2011-2014

Abstract

Background: Handgrip strength is a measure of muscular strength and body fitness. It has been shown that handgrip strength is associated with cardiometabolic risk in adult population. We hypothesized that handgrip strength is associated with insulin resistance measures in children and adolescents. Methods: The sample included 1,023 adolescents (50.4% boys and 49.6% girls) aged 12-19 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2011-2014 and did not take any antidiabetic medications. The sum of the maximum handgrip strength from both hands, standardized to age- and sex-specific z-scores, was used. Fasting plasma glucose, serum insulin, and calculated Homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were used as insulin resistance measures. Serum insulin levels and HOMA-IR were log-transformed before further analyses. General linear models were used for data analyses. Results: After adjustment for age, race, sex, and body mass index, handgrip strength was inversely associated with serum insulin levels (P<0.0001) and HOMA-IR (P=0.0002). The associations tended to be stronger in boys than in girls such that the inverse associations of handgrip strength with insulin levels and HOM-IR were significant in boys (P<0.0001 for both) but not in girls (P>0.35), though interaction terms between handgrip strength and sex were not significant (P>0.36). There was no association between handgrip strength and plasma glucose levels (P=0.50). Conclusion: These results suggest that handgrip strength is associated with insulin sensitivity in adolescents, which indicates that increasing muscular strength and body fitness may have beneficial effects in early stage prevention of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.