Metabolic syndrome and weight status may modify the inverse association between handgrip strength and C-reactive protein in Korean adults.

Metabolic and weight phenotype-specific relationships between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and handgrip strength (HGS) may compare the phenotypes that can potentially influence association between HGS and hsCRP risk. However, these phenotype-related differences remain unclear. The present study investigated the associations between HGS assessed using raw HGS of each hand and relative HGS (HGS/body mass index [BMI]) and hsCRP status according to metabolic and weight phenotypes. In 15 061 Korean adults (50.8 ± 16.6 years) with complete data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2015 to 2017, hsCRP levels were classified into high risk (>3 mg/L) vs low to average risk. Metabolic and weight phenotypes were categorized into 6 groups according to the number of metabolic syndrome (MetS) components (0/1-2/3-4) and the absence/presence of obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2). After adjusting for confounding factors (demographics, treatment of concurrent illnesses, and health-related behaviors), high-risk hsCRP had inverse associations with HGS values, whereas it had positive associations with phenotypes having higher number of MetS components and higher BMI in both sexes. In both men and women, increases of all HGS were not associated with high-risk hsCRP in the nonobese phenotype without MetS components after adjusting for confounding factors. However, those increases in HGS had inverse associations with high-risk hsCRP in either men or women with at least 1 MetS component, regardless of coexistent weight status, and those with obesity, regardless of coexistent MetS components. In conclusion, strong HGS may be more favorable for individuals with high-risk hsCRP when they have obesity or metabolically unhealthy phenotypes.