Diabetes is associated with reduced grip strength: A cross‐sectional study of medical check‐up results in Japanese seniors

AIMS: Several studies have suggested diabetes to possibly be associated with muscle atrophy, that is, so-called sarcopenia, in seniors. The association between grip strength and disease states has not yet been examined in a large-scale general population study. Therefore, we conducted a large-scale analysis of the relationship between grip strength and glucose tolerance in Japanese subjects aged ≥65 years receiving health check-ups. METHODS: We collected data from 22,717 subjects who underwent medical check-ups. After excluding subjects who did not meet the criteria, data from 15,529 subjects who underwent the grip strength measurement were analyzed. The subjects were divided into three groups according to anthropometric and biochemical data, including glucose tolerance status. Baseline characteristics, including grip strength, were compared among the three groups. Regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between grip strength and glucose tolerance status. RESULTS: For males, median grip strength was significantly lower in the group with diabetes (36.0 kg) than in those with prediabetes (37.0 kg) or normal glucose tolerance (37.3 kg). According to logistic regression analysis, higher grip strength was associated with lower odds of diabetes (OR = 0.959, 95% CI: 0.949-0.968 vs normal, OR = 0.968, 95% CI: 0.957-0.979 vs prediabetes) or prediabetes (OR = 0.990, 95% CI: 0.981-0.999 vs normal) for males, while not reaching statistical significance for females. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes is associated with lower grip strength in Japanese males aged ≥65 years.