Relationship between muscle strength and dyslipidemia, serum 25(OH)D, and weight status among diverse schoolchildren: a cross-sectional analysis

Background: The relationship between muscle strength and cardiometabolic risk factors in youth, and the potential influence of vitamin D status on this relationship, is not well understood. This study examined associations between muscle strength and dyslipidemia, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], and weight status in diverse schoolchildren. Methods: Measures of hand-grip strength (standardized for sex and body weight), anthropometrics (height and weight converted to BMI z-score [BMIz]), sociodemographics, and fasting blood concentrations of plasma HDL-C and triglycerides and serum 25(OH)D were collected from 350 4th-8th grade schoolchildren (11.2 +/- 1.3 y, 49.4% female, 56.3% non-white/Caucasian). Logistic regression was used to measure associations between standardized tertiles of grip strength and blood lipids, 25(OH)D, and weight status along with associations between 25(OH)D and dyslipidemia and weight status. Results: Children with higher grip strength had lower odds of overweight/obesity (OR: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.01-0.06, in the highest tertile of grip strength vs. lowest, p for trend<0.0001), borderline/low HDL-C (OR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.16-0.50, p for trend<0.0001), and borderline/high triglycerides (OR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.25-0.92, p for trend<0.05), adjusting for covariates. Associations between blood lipids and grip strength became non-significant after further adjustment for BMIz. No association was observed between grip strength and 25(OH)D, nor between 25(OH)D and borderline/low HDL-C or weight status; however, vitamin D sufficiency was associated with lower odds of borderline/high triglycerides compared with vitamin D deficiency (OR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.09-0.74, p for trend<0.05) before BMIz adjustment. Conclusion: Among racially/ethnically diverse children, muscle strength was associated with lower dyslipidemia. Longitudinal studies are needed to explore whether changes in muscle strength impact this relationship in children, independent of weight status.