Alcohol Consumption is Positively Associated with Handgrip Strength Among Japanese Community-dwelling Middle-aged and Elderly Persons

Abstract

Summary Background Alcohol consumption is an important lifestyle factor for a variety of health problems, we investigated whether alcohol consumption is associated with handgrip strength (HGS), which is a useful indicator of sarcopenia, among Japanese community-dwelling persons. Methods The present study included 764 men aged 70 (69–70) years and 955 women aged 70 (69–70) years from a rural village. Daily alcohol consumption was measured using the Japanese liquor unit in which a unit corresponds to 22.9 g of ethanol, and the participants were classified into never drinkers, occasional drinkers, daily light drinkers (1–2 units/day), and daily moderate drinkers (2–3 units/day). Results HGS were significantly correlated with age in both men and women. HGS increased significantly with increased daily alcohol consumption in both genders, and in men HGS in daily moderate drinkers were significantly greater than those in never, occasional, and daily light drinkers. In women, HGS in daily light and moderate drinkers were significantly greater than those in never drinkers. In men, Multivariate-adjusted HGS were significantly greater in daily light {mean: 33.4 (95% confidence interval: 32.3–34.5) kg} and moderate drinkers {33.6 (32.8–34.0) kg} than in never drinkers {31.7 (30.8–32.7) kg}, and in women multivariate-adjusted HGS in occasional drinkers {21.5 (21.0–22.1) kg} was significantly greater in never drinkers {20.7 (20.5–21.0) kg}. Conclusion These results suggest that alcohol consumption may have a protective role in aging-associated decline in muscle strength in community-dwelling persons.