Comparison of muscle strength between Japanese men with and without metabolic syndrome.

We compared muscle strength between Japanese men with and without metabolic syndrome. We used data for 323 Japanese men with metabolic syndrome and 893 Japanese men without the syndrome. Metabolic syndrome was defined by a new criterion in Japan, and the parameters for muscle strength, i.e. grip strength, leg strength were measured. Leg strength was found to be significantly higher in subjects with metabolic syndrome than in those without, while muscle strength per body weight was significantly lower in subjects with the syndrome. Lower muscle strength per body weight may be one of the characteristic features in subjects with metabolic syndrome.