# Prospective association between handgrip strength in childhood and the metabolic syndrome score and insulin resistance indices in adolescence: an analysis based on the Ewha Birth and Growth Study

## TL;DR

This study shows that stronger handgrip strength in childhood is linked to lower risk of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance in adolescence.

## Contribution

It provides new prospective evidence linking childhood muscle strength to metabolic health outcomes in adolescence.

## Key findings

- Higher relative handgrip strength in childhood was associated with lower continuous metabolic syndrome scores in adolescence.
- Increased childhood handgrip strength correlated with reduced insulin resistance indices like HOMA-IR and fasting blood insulin.
- The associations remained significant after adjusting for confounding factors.

## Abstract

Low handgrip strength (HGS) in children and adolescents might be associated with the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and insulin resistance. This study prospectively evaluated the association between HGS in childhood and MetS in adolescence.

Based on data from the Ewha Birth and Growth Study, this study analyzed HGS at ages 7 to 9 and metabolic indices at ages 13 to 15. In total, 219 participants were analyzed. The risk of MetS was evaluated using the continuous metabolic syndrome score (cMetS), and insulin resistance was assessed using fasting blood insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Relative HGS in childhood was determined by dividing HGS by body weight and categorized as sex-specific quartiles.

This study found an inverse association between relative HGS levels in childhood and MetS and insulin resistance in adolescence. For each 1-group increase in relative HGS quartiles, cMetS (standarard [Std] β=-0.64, p<0.01), HOMA-IR (Std β=-0.21, p<0.01), and fasting blood insulin (Std β=-0.21, p<0.01) all decreased on average. These associations remained significant even after adjusting for confounding factors.

Our study showed a prospective association between HGS in childhood and the risk of MetS and insulin resistance in adolescence. It provides significant epidemiological evidence, emphasizing the importance of efforts to increase muscle strength from a young age to mitigate the risk of MetS and insulin resistance in adolescence.