Poor glycaemic control is associated with chronic life-threatening complications. This cross-sectional study examined whether there is an association between handgrip strength and glycaemic control among patients with diabetes. Data on 1058 participants aged 40 and older were collected from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES). Muscle strength was assessed using a handgrip dynamometer, and glycaemic control was assessed using HbA1c. Handgrip strength was presented as age- and gender-specific quartiles, with participants in quartile 1 having the lowest handgrip strength and participants in quartile 4 having the highest handgrip strength. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between handgrip strength and poor glycaemic control among participants with diabetes. Three models, each adjusted to include different variables, were employed. Odds ratio (OR) values revealed no association between handgrip strength and glycaemic control after adjusting for age, gender, and race in model 1. With further adjustment for sedentary activity, income-to-poverty ratio, education, and smoking, patients in quartile 4 of handgrip strength had 0.51 odds of poor glycaemic control (95% CI: 0.27-0.99). However, the reported association above vanished when further adjusted for insulin use (OR = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.35-1.28). In conclusion, findings may indicate an association between glycaemic control and muscle strength. This association may be altered by insulin use; further investigations are required.
Keywords: HbA1c; diabetes; handgrip; muscle strength.