A new study finds that the weaker the grip strength of older adults, the more likely they are to develop diabetes.

Professor Sohn Yeo-ju of the Department of Family Medicine at Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital studied the association between relative grasping power and the development of diabetes in older adults, finding that stronger grip strength could reduce the risk of developing diabetes by up to 0.8 times, the hospital said Monday.

Using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA) panel survey from 2006 to 2020, Professor Sohn followed up on 22,016 repeatedly measured participants 65 and older who did not have diabetes and found an association between relative handgrip strength and diabetes incidence.

Relative Hand Grip Strength (HGS) measures muscle strength and body mass index (BMI). It is calculated as absolute HGS divided by body mass index (BMI).

The results showed that the higher the relative HGS, the lower the risk of developing diabetes.

In men, the odds ratio (OR) of developing diabetes was 0.87 times lower in the second tertile and 0.82 times lower in the highest tertile compared to the lowest first tertile.

In female older adults, compared to the lowest tertile of relative force, the intermediate tertile had a 0.82-fold reduction in OR, and the highest tertile had a 0.79-fold reduction in OR.

While previous studies have focused on absolute force, this study used relative force, which considered body mass, to accurately analyze the relationship between strength and metabolic disease.

Professor Sohn said the study shows that strength training, especially resistance training, can prevent diabetes in older adults by improving muscle strength while reducing body mass index.

“This study confirms the importance of strength in the healthcare of older adults,” Sohn said. “Notably, we found that a new way of analyzing relative force can contribute to preventing chronic diseases, including diabetes.”

She added that by investigating the link between relative force and diabetes, the study could help healthcare professionals, including clinicians, develop individualized treatment plans for older adults and ultimately contribute to improving the health and quality of life of the elderly population.

Professor Sohn is conducting a follow-up study to comprehensively analyze the impact of various factors, including muscle mass, physical activity level, and diet, on the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, in addition to relative force.

The study, “Association of relative handgrip strength on the development of diabetes mellitus in elderly Koreans,” was published in PLOS ONE, an online journal of the U.S. Public Library of Science.