Absolute and adjusted hand grip strength values in obese patients

Area of Science:

• Clinical Nutrition
• Body Composition Analysis
• Musculoskeletal Health

Background:

• Hand grip strength (HGS) is a key indicator in nutritional assessment, crucial for early sarcopenia detection.
• In obesity, HGS can reveal muscle weakness not evident from body mass alone.
• Assessing HGS in obese patients is vital for understanding their muscle health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify absolute and adjusted HGS in obese patients relative to weight, height, BMI, and ASMM.
• To determine the prevalence of low muscle strength in obese individuals.
• To compare HGS metrics between obese patients and a healthy cohort.

Main Methods:

• A prospective observational study involving obese patients and healthy volunteers.
• Measurement of absolute and adjusted HGS, considering weight, height, BMI, and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASMM).
• Comparison of HGS data with established cut-off points (Sánchez-Torralvo, Dodds, <-2SD) from a healthy reference population.

Main Results:

• Obese patients showed significantly lower absolute HGS (26.6 ± 9.7 kg) than healthy volunteers (30.7 ± 10.5 kg).
• Adjusted HGS values for height, weight, BMI, and ASMM were also significantly lower in the obese group.
• Prevalence of low muscle strength in obese patients ranged from 14.5% to 23.4%, varying by cut-off points used.

Conclusions:

• Obese patients exhibit reduced absolute and adjusted HGS compared to healthy individuals.
• HGS measurements in obese patients differ based on whether they are absolute or adjusted.
• Further research is required to establish specific HGS cut-off points for obese populations.