Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome According to Absolute and Relative Values of Muscle Strength in Middle-Aged and Elderly Women

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) increases with age, obesity, low physical activity, and decreased muscle strength. Although many studies have reported on grip strength and MetS, few studies have been conducted on leg strength. The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of MetS according to absolute and relative leg strength values in middle-aged and older women. The participants were 1053 women who visited the healthcare center: middle-aged (n = 453) and older (n = 601). MetS was diagnosed using the criteria established by the third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III and the World Health Organization’s Asia Pacific guidelines for waist circumference. For leg strength, knee flexion and extension were performed using isokinetic equipment. Grip strength was measured using a grip dynamometer and classified into quartiles. Analysis of prevalence using logistic regression showed that MetS was present in 21.2% of middle-aged and 39.4% of older women. The lowest relative leg extension increased 2.5 times in the middle-aged and 1.5 times in older women (p < 0.05). However, leg flexion did not have a significant prevalence in either age group. The prevalence of MetS in middle-aged and older women with the lowest relative grip strength increased 1.5 and 1.2 times, respectively. Conversely, the lower the absolute leg extension strength, the lower the MetS prevalence was at 0.520 in middle-aged and 0.566 in older women (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the prevalence of MetS increased in women with low relative grip and leg strengths. Specifically, the lower the relative leg extension muscle strength, the higher the prevalence of MetS. In addition, the prevalence of MetS increased in the high-frequency alcohol consumption and non-physical activity group.