Association of muscle strength and body mass index with risk factors for metabolic syndrome and its prevalence in Korean adult women

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of muscle strength and BMI (body Mass Index) on Metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors and prevalence in Korean adult women, using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods A total of 3189 Korean adults women participated in the cross-sectional study. Participants were measured BMI, MetS risk factors including waist-circumference (WC), fasting glucose (FG), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and handgrip strength as muscle strength. Results As a result ‘high BMI & Low muscle strength’, ‘low BMI & low muscle strength’, and ‘high BMI & high muscle strength’ groups had a significantly higher prevalence of Mets [OR (Odd ratio): 1.49, 95% CI (confidence interval): 1.01 2.20; OR: 5.77, 95% CI: 4.32 7.17; OR: 10.46, 95% CI: 8.05 13.59] than ‘low BMI & high muscle strength’ group; and after adjusting smoking, menstruation status, and drinking rate, the OR were 1.07 (95% CI: 0.71–1.61), 4.89 (95% CI: 3.60–6.55), and 7.38 (95% CI: 5.63–9.68), respectively. Conclusions These findings indicated that increasing muscle strength and lowering BMI through regular physical activity and exercise are effective methods to reduce the prevalence of risk factors for Mets.