Low muscle fitness are related to a high lipid–metabolic cardiovascular risk

Abstract

OBJECTIVE. We studied the association of lipid–metabolic cardiovascular risk index(LMCRI) with muscular fitness(MF). METHODS. Healthy young (mean age 21.2±4.7 years) men(n= 6.095) were invited to participate in the study. All subjects were from Bogota and Cali(Colombia) and belong to different universities (public and private).MF was measured two times with a TKK(handgrip). To account for differences in body size, peak grip strength was divided by body mass and handgrip (kg)/kg was used in further analysis. Subjects were further divided into six subgroups according to BMI (normal vs. overweight/obese) and MF (tertiles: unfit, average, fit). Fasting blood was obtained to measure a lipid profile and glucose levels. A LMCRI was calculated. RESULTS. The groups with the lowest MF had 67% higher aLMCRI than the groups with the highest MF(P<0.001). In overweight/obese participants, the LMCRI (66%/84%) was higher compared with subjects with normal weight(P<0.05, in all). In BMI and MF subgroups, LMCRI was higher in the overweight/unfit subgroup (0.132±0.965) when compared with the normal-weight/unfit subgroup(-0.362±0.791; P<0.001) and overweight/fit and normal-weight/fit subjects (0.008±1,104 vs. -0.423±0.676; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS . Overweight and obesity are associated with serum conventional lipids and lipid–metabolic cardiovascular risk index. However, low MF levels should be avoided for primary cardiovascular disease prevention.