GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Researchers at the University of Florida have discovered a correlation between grip strength and diabetes and high blood pressure.
The study has been published online ahead of the print version in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Researchers measured the grip strength in normal-weight but high-fat-ratio adults with no history of cardiovascular disease and compared it to the grip strength of normal weight, normal BMI adults and with diagnosed diabetics. The subjects were then tested for A1c levels.

Findings show those who had undiagnosed diabetes measured with a lower grip strength than did individuals who were not diabetic or did not suffer from hypertension.

The results show the weakened grip condition was shown in subjects who had a body mass index within the normal range, but a high proportion of fat to lean muscle. Those percentages for men were more than 25 percent body fat, and for women 35 percent.

This is a subgroup less likely to be screened for hypertension or diabetes because they aren’t considered overweight or obese by BMI measures alone.

The researchers have concluded grip strength is lower in individuals with diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes and hypertension, and may be an indicator of these diseases in the undiagnosed.

http://www.ajpmonline.org/action/showMultipleAbstracts