Hand Grip Strength And Peak Expiratory Flow Among Individuals With Diabetes: Findings From the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study Baseline Survey

The manifestation of muscle dysfunction associated with diabetes is commonly observed in skeletal muscles. The negative effect of hyperglycemia on muscle function is systemic and it may extend to abdominal muscles. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine whether hand grip strength (HGS), an indicator of peripheral muscle strength, correlates with peak expiratory flow (PEF), which reflects the strength of abdominal muscles, among middle-aged and older Chinese individuals with diabetes. After controlling for all variables except for physical activity, 10 L/min increase in PEF was associated with 0.2 kg increase in HGS (β = .02, p < .0001). In the model additionally controlling for physical activity, the effect size of PEF on HGS did not change (β = .02, p < .0001). Our results suggest that among individuals with diabetes, PEF is positively related to HGS. The relationship may suggest a decline in PEF and a weakness of abdominal muscles.