Associations Between Muscular Fitness And Metabolic Syndrome In Japanese Women And Men

Abstract

The metabolic syndrome is a complex interrelated risk factor for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. High cardiorespiratory fitness was known to contribute a prevention of metabolic syndrome. However, a little is known regarding the association between muscular fitness and metabolic syndrome in Japanese. PURPOSE: To examine the associations between muscular fitness and metabolic syndrome in Japanese women and men. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 335 women and 209 men, aged 30-79 years. Metabolic syndrome was determined according to the criteria of International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Muscular fitness was evaluated by muscular fitness score (MFS) which was determined using Z-scores from hand grip strength and sit-ups. Participants were classified by tertile of MFS such as low, middle and high MFS group. We used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios for the incidence of metabolic syndrome in each group. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 27.2% in women and 27.3% in men. The odds ratios for incident metabolic syndrome in the low, middle, and upper thirds of MFS groups, after adjusting for age, smoking status, alcohol intake and exercise habit, were 1.0 (referent), 0.90 (95% confidence interval (Cl), 0.50 to 1.62), and 0.49 (95% CI, 0.25 to 0.94) (linear trend P = 0.03) in women; in men, these were 1.0 (referent), 0.49 (95% CI, 0.23 to 1.04), and 0.42 (95% CI, 0.18 to 0.97) (linear trend P = 0.04), respectively. These results were attenuated after adjustment for cardiorespiratory fitness (linear trend P = 0.67 in women, and P=0.96 in men). CONCLUSION: Muscular fitness is inversely associated with the incidence of metabolic syndrome in Japanese women and men.