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. 2016 Feb;38(1):28.
doi: 10.1007/s11357-016-9891-4. Epub 2016 Feb 13.

Age-related change in handgrip strength in men and women: is muscle quality a contributing factor?

Takashi Abe  1 , Robert S Thiebaud  2 , Jeremy P Loenneke  3
Affiliations

Age-related change in handgrip strength in men and women: is muscle quality a contributing factor?

Takashi Abe et al. Age (Dordr). 2016 Feb.

Abstract

Age-related changes in muscle quality and muscle mass in the forearm, which relate to decline in handgrip strength (HGS), have not been reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between age-related declines in HGS and loss of muscle thickness and/or muscle quality in the forearm of 613 adults (306 men and 307 women) aged 20-89. Anterior forearm muscle thickness (MT-ulna) and HGS were measured using an ultrasound and a hand dynamometer, respectively, in the dominant hand. Muscle quality (fMQ) was defined as a ratio of HGS to MT-ulna. HGS was similar among younger (ages 20-29, 30-39, and 40-49) groups and was progressively lower with increasing age in both sexes. MT-ulna was similar between ages 20-29 and 60-69 in men and between ages 20-29 and 70-79 in women. In men, MT-ulna was lower in ages 70-79 and 80-89 compared with other age groups. In women, MT-ulna was lower in ages 80-89 compared with ages 20-29 and 40-49. In both men and women, fMQ was identical among younger (ages 20-29, 30-39, and 40-49) groups. After that fMQ was progressively lower with age in both men and women. The results indicated that age-related decline in HGS is associated with fMQ, but it appears to be accelerated after the seventh decade due to muscle loss.

Keywords: Aging; B-mode ultrasound; Grip strength; Skeletal muscle mass.

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Conflict of interest statement

Compliance with ethical standards This study was partly supported by the Japanese Society of Wellness & Preventive Medicine funded research (TA). Takashi Abe, Robert Thiebaud and Jeremy Loenneke declare that they have no conflicts of interest relevant to the content of this manuscript.

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