Yeqing Gu1, Jun Dong2, Ge Meng3, Qing Zhang4, Li Liu4, Hongmei Wu2, Shunming Zhang2, Yawen Wang2, Tingjing Zhang2, Xuena Wang2, Shaomei Sun4, Xing Wang4, Qiyu Jia4, Kun Song4, Qiang Liu5, Kaijun Niu6. 1. Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China. 2. Nutritional Epidemiology Institute and School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China. 3. Nutritional Epidemiology Institute and School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China; Department of Toxicology and Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China. 4. Health Management Centre, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China. 5. Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China. Electronic address: liuqiang@irm-cams.ac.cn. 6. Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China; Nutritional Epidemiology Institute and School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China; Health Management Centre, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China; Center for International Collaborative Research on Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China. Electronic address: niukaijun@tmu.edu.cn.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The independent role of muscular strength in the prevention of chronic disease is increasingly being recognized. However, no cohort study has assessed the relationship between handgrip strength and the incidence of hypertension among the middle-aged and older population. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate whether handgrip strength is related to incident hypertension among people aged 40 years and over. STUDY DESIGN: This prospective cohort study (n = 8,480) was performed between 2013 and 2019 as part of the Tianjin Chronic Low-grade Systemic Inflammation and Health (TCLSIH) Cohort Study, Tianjin, China. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants without baseline hypertension were followed up for ~6 years (median 4.0 years). Hypertension was defined according to the JNC7 criteria. Handgrip strength was measured using a hydraulic handheld dynamometer. Adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the relationships between weight-adjusted handgrip strength and the risk of incident hypertension. RESULTS: The incidence rate of hypertension per 1000 person-years was 70. The fully adjusted hazards ratios (95% confidence interval) of the incidence of hypertension for increasing quartiles of weight-adjusted handgrip strength were: 1.00(reference), 0.84 (0.75-0.95), 0.78 (0.69-0.88), and 0.66 (0.58-0.75) (P for trend<0.0001). Moreover, the adjusted hazards ratio (95% confidence interval) of incident hypertension for per unit increase in weight-adjusted handgrip strength was 0.17 (0.10-0.27) (P<0.0001). Similar results were observed in males and females. CONCLUSIONS: The present cohort study is the first to find that high weight-adjusted handgrip strength, but not absolute handgrip strength, is significantly and independently related to low risk of incident hypertension among the middle-aged and older population.
OBJECTIVES: The independent role of muscular strength in the prevention of chronic disease is increasingly being recognized. However, no cohort study has assessed the relationship between handgrip strength and the incidence of hypertension among the middle-aged and older population. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate whether handgrip strength is related to incident hypertension among people aged 40 years and over. STUDY DESIGN: This prospective cohort study (n = 8,480) was performed between 2013 and 2019 as part of the Tianjin Chronic Low-grade Systemic Inflammation and Health (TCLSIH) Cohort Study, Tianjin, China. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants without baseline hypertension were followed up for ~6 years (median 4.0 years). Hypertension was defined according to the JNC7 criteria. Handgrip strength was measured using a hydraulic handheld dynamometer. Adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the relationships between weight-adjusted handgrip strength and the risk of incident hypertension. RESULTS: The incidence rate of hypertension per 1000 person-years was 70. The fully adjusted hazards ratios (95% confidence interval) of the incidence of hypertension for increasing quartiles of weight-adjusted handgrip strength were: 1.00(reference), 0.84 (0.75-0.95), 0.78 (0.69-0.88), and 0.66 (0.58-0.75) (P for trend<0.0001). Moreover, the adjusted hazards ratio (95% confidence interval) of incident hypertension for per unit increase in weight-adjusted handgrip strength was 0.17 (0.10-0.27) (P<0.0001). Similar results were observed in males and females. CONCLUSIONS: The present cohort study is the first to find that high weight-adjusted handgrip strength, but not absolute handgrip strength, is significantly and independently related to low risk of incident hypertension among the middle-aged and older population.