Greater hand-grip strength predicts a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes over 10 years in leaner Japanese Americans

Aims

Much is known about body composition and type 2 diabetes risk but less about body function such as strength. We assessed whether hand-grip strength predicted incident diabetes.

Methods

We followed 394 nondiabetic Japanese-American subjects (mean age 51.9) for the development of diabetes. We fit a logistic regression model to examine the association between hand-grip strength at baseline and type 2 diabetes risk over 10 years, adjusted for age, sex, and family history.

Results

A statistically significant (p = 0.008) and negative (coefficient −0.208) association was observed between hand-grip strength and diabetes risk that diminished at higher BMI levels. Adjusted ORs for a 10-pound hand-grip strength increase with BMI set at the 25th, 50th or 75th percentiles were 0.68, 0.79, and 0.98, respectively.

Conclusions

Among leaner individuals, greater hand-grip strength was associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, suggesting it may be a useful marker of risk in this population.