Handgrip strength and diabetes in postmenopausal women: insights from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014-2019.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between handgrip strength (HGS) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in postmenopausal women in Korea relative to the menopausal duration.

Methods: Data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2014 and 2019 were analyzed. A total of 4,098 postmenopausal women aged 45 to 65 years were included in the study. Handgrip strength was measured using a digital hand dynamometer. Participants were categorized into quartiles based on HGS with Q1 representing the weakest strength and Q4 the greatest strength. The association between DM and HGS was assessed using logistic regression analysis while adjusting for relevant covariates.

Results: Postmenopausal women aged 45 to 65 years with stronger HGS were less likely to have DM ( P < 0.001). This association persisted even after adjusting for age, body mass index, and comorbidities ( P < 0.001). The inverse relationship between HGS and DM prevalence was more pronounced in women who had been postmenopausal for >10 years than in those who had been postmenopausal for a shorter duration (P-interaction <0.001). In addition, compared to their nondiabetic counterparts, women with DM were less likely to be categorized into the Q4 group ( P < 0.001).

Conclusions: The findings suggest that weaker HGS was associated with likelihood of having DM among postmenopausal women in Korea. Owing to the inherent limitation to the cross-sectional study design, further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the association between DM and HGS in postmenopausal women.