The association of visceral adiposity with handgrip strength in community dwellers of the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Background: Handgrip strength (HGS) is a powerful tool to assess generalized body health; however, its association with visceral adipose tissues (VATs) in the community dwellers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not known. The objectives of this study were to investigate the association between HGS and VATs in the UAE population of both genders, 18–65 years of age (n = 1146). Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in various community centers of the UAE from June to October 2021. We used a handgrip dynamometer to measure HGS and a bioelectrical impedance scale to measure body composition, including VAT content. VAT was categorized into low (1–9), optimal (10–14), and high (15–30) levels. We used t-test and ANOVA analyses to measure differences in HGS and VAT across gender and age groups. Results: The peak HGS was found in the third and fourth decades of life, followed by an age-associated decline. We report that the highest HGS for dominant was found in people with the optimal VATs content irrespective of gender and age. Conversely, having low or high VATs was associated with lower HGS. However, there were no differences between the HGS of dominant versus nondominant hands in men and women. Conclusion: Altogether, we report an association of an optimal VAT content with peak HGS, so that having low or high VATs were associated with reduced HGS. Taken together, the measurements of VAT and HGS may be helpful in assessing generalized health in preclinical settings.