Association between dietary patterns and handgrip strength: analysis of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data between 2014 and 2017

Abstract

Background Non-invasive anthropometric measurement methods such as those for measuring height and weight are crucial in pediatric patients. However, research focusing on the association between the type of dietary pattern and handgrip strength and handgrip-to-weight ratio in adolescents has not been carried out yet. Methods The current work aims to investigate the association between handgrip strength and dietary patterns in Korean adolescents. This cross-sectional analyses of the 2014-2017 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey assessed 2,327 adolescent (aged 10-18 years) who had measured handgrip strength and analyzed association between dietary pattern. The mean of three handgrip strength measurements, per hand, was used in the analysis. Handgrip-to-weight ratio was calculated by the following equation: Handgrip strength/body weight (kg)×100). The overall food intake data were subcategorized into 25 food groups from the Korean Nutrient Database. The clusters were examined for nutritional values, and the ready-to-eat , balanced, and western-style fast-food clusters were ultimately generated. The association between handgrip strength, handgrip-to-weight ratio, and dietary intake was analyzed. Results Overall, 85.6% of the participants were assigned to a ready-to-eat dietary pattern, 9.3% to a western-style fast-food dietary pattern, and 5.1% to a balanced dietary pattern. Compared with the participants following a balanced dietary pattern, those following a ready-to-eat dietary pattern were shown to have significantly lower handgrip strength and handgrip-to-weight ratio. However, no significant association was found between handgrip strength or handgrip-to-weight ratio when the western-style fast-food dietary pattern was compared to the balanced dietary pattern. Conclusions Decreased handgrip strength and handgrip-to-weight ratio value in participants following ready-to-eat dietary patterns indicate a diffuse problem in adolescents’ health and possibly imply an association between reduced muscle quality and dietary pattern. Moreover, the overall environmental factors potentially inducing such unhealthy dietary preferences should be investigated, and appropriate lifestyle changes in Korean adolescents should be encouraged.