Association of diet quality with hand grip strength weakness and asymmetry in a multi-ethnic Asian cohort

Authors

Jiannan Huang, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, 117549Singapore.
Aarathi Shanmugam, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, 117549Singapore.
Xiangyuan Huang, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, 117549Singapore.
Rob M. van Dam, Departments of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences and Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
Saima Hilal, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, 117549Singapore.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

11-22-2023

Journal

The British journal of nutrition

DOI

10.1017/S0007114523002647

Keywords

Asia; Diet quality; Grip strength; Multi-ethnic population; Sarcopenia

Abstract

Hand grip strength (HGS) is an important diagnostic tool for sarcopenia and a reliable predictor for age-related chronic diseases and mortality. Interventions in nutrition have been shown as a low-cost strategy to maintain muscular strength and mass. However, there are limited data on the effect of diet on HGS in Southeast Asian populations. This study aims to investigate the association of diet quality with HGS weakness and asymmetry in a multi-ethnic population in Singapore. This cross-sectional study used data from the Singapore Multi-Ethnic Cohort ( = 1547). Dietary data were collected using a validated semi-quantitative FFQ and summarised as the Dietary Quality Index - International (DQI-I). HGS was calculated as the maximum value of six measurements from both hands. HGS weakness and asymmetry were defined using well-recognised criteria. Multivariable linear regression and logistic regression were utilised for continuous and binary outcomes, respectively, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, physical activity and smoking status. It was found that the highest quartile of DQI-I was significantly associated with higher HGS ( = 1·11; 95 % CI 0·41, 1·82; < 0·001) and lower odds of HGS asymmetry (OR = 0·71; 95 % CI 0·53, 0·94; = 0·035) and both HGS weakness and asymmetry (OR = 0·50; 95 % CI 0·32, 0·76; = 0·004). Among the different components of DQI-I, only dietary adequacy was significantly associated with higher HGS ( < 0·001) and lower odds for both HGS weakness and asymmetry ( = 0·006). Our findings support that DQI-I, an indicator of overall diet quality, can be used to provide dietary guidelines for prevention and management of muscle wasting, sarcopenia and frailty.

APA Citation

Huang, Jiannan; Shanmugam, Aarathi; Huang, Xiangyuan; van Dam, Rob M.; and Hilal, Saima, "Association of diet quality with hand grip strength weakness and asymmetry in a multi-ethnic Asian cohort" (2023). GW Authored Works. Paper 3772.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/3772

Department

Exercise and Nutrition Sciences