Relationship of handgrip strength with anthropometric and body composition variables in prepubertal children

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship of handgrip strength with basic anthropometric variables, hand anthropometric variables, total body and hand composition, total body and hand bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) in prepubertal children aged between 8 and 11 years (n=64, 27 boys, 37 girls). Height and body mass were measured and body mass index (BMI kg/m²) was calculated. Biceps and triceps skinfolds, arm relaxed, arm flexed, forearm and wrist girths, acromiale-radiale, radiale-stylion-radiale and midstylion-dactylion length and humerus breadth were measured. Specific hand anthropometric variables according to Visnapuu and Jürimäe [2007. Handgrip strength and hand dimensions in young handball and basketball players. J. Strength Cond. Res. 21, 923-929] were used. Five fingers’ spans, fingers’ lengths and perimeters of the hand were measured. Total body and right-hand fat percentage, fat mass and lean mass (LBM) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Right-hand BMC and BMD were analysed from the bone variables. Maximal handgrip strength of the right hand was measured with the hand dynamometer. Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that the most important predictive value from the basic anthropometric variables was body height, explaining 76.1% (R²×100), 40.7% and 50.6% of the handgrip strength in boys, girls and total group, respectively. Measured skinfold thicknesses and breadths were not related to handgrip strength in any group. Forearm girths significantly predicted handgrip strength in boys (30.8%), girls (43.4%) and total group (43.4%). As a rule, handgrip strength was more dependent on the anthropometric and body composition variables in boys than girls. It was concluded that body height, forearm girth, midstylion-dactylion and acromiale-radiale length and hand LBM and BMC are the most limiting factors influencing handgrip strength in prepubertal children.     

Evaluation and reproduction of time intervals in 7-10-year old children

We examined 200 children at the age of 7-10 (100 boys and 100 girls). The subjects had to estimate and reproduce time intervals in the range of 15-90 s. It was found that the children reproduced the intervals better and with lesser deviations than they estimated the intervals. The precision of time estimation increased with age and was best in ten-ear-old children. The findings confirm the authors' hypothesis about the "active" and "passive" time perception.     

Age trends in anthropometric characteristics among 6-9 years old Bengalee Hindu school girls of Kolkata, India

A cross-sectional study of 431 6-9 years old urban Bengalee Hindu schoolgirls of Kolkata, India, was undertaken to study age trends in anthropometric characteristics including regional and subcutaneous adiposity. The anthropometric variables measured included height, weight, sitting height (SH), waist (WC), hip (HPC), thigh (TC), mid-upper arm (MUAC) and medial calf (MC) circumferences as well as triceps (TSF), biceps (BSF), subscapular SUBSF), suprailliac (SUPSF) and medial calf (MCASF) skinfolds. The results revealed, that there was a significant increasing age trend for all the anthropometric variables including the two derived variables: body mass index (BMI) and subischial leg length (SLL). For all variables, the lowest and the highest means were observed at the age of 6 and 9 years, respectively. The maximum increase in weight, BMI, all linear measurements, WC and HPC were observed during the period 6-7 years of age. In general, all skinfolds recorded similar yearly increments. More importantly, this study clearly indicated that among Bengalee girls aged 6-9 years, the highest amount of linear growth (height, SH and SLL) was observed at 6 years of age. The overall adiposity (BMI) also recorded the maximum increment during this period. The unique data presented here can be used as reference values for urban Bengalee Hindu girls aged 6-9 years.     

Oral health status and change in handgrip strength over a 5-year period in 80-year-old people

Objective: The number of remaining teeth may indicate the extent of life‐long exposure to inflammation, a known risk factor for muscle loss and consequent disability. The aim was to study dental health status as a risk factor for muscle strength loss in very old people. Design: Cross‐sectional and prospective cohort study over a 5‐year follow‐up. Setting: Research laboratory. Participants: One hundred and ninety‐three 80‐year‐old people participated in the baseline examinations. Five years later, 79 survivors were retested. Main outcome measures: Number of remaining teeth, presence of periodontitis and handgrip strength. Results: At baseline, grip strength of men correlated positively with number of teeth but not with the presence of periodontitis. In women, the cross‐sectional associations were not statistically significant. In the prospective analyses, the presence of periodontitis at baseline showed a clear association with a steeper decline in handgrip over the 5‐year follow‐up in both sexes. The values adjusted for gender, height, weight, number of chronic conditions and physical activity were ?28.3% (SE 5.7) among those with periodontitis vs. ?11.9% (SE 3.1, p = 0.015) among those with healthy gingiva. No association between the number of teeth at baseline and change in grip strength over 5 years was observed. Conclusions: The presence of oral inflammation may lead to loss in muscle strength increasing the risk of disability. Therefore, good dental care throughout the life span may decrease risk of disability in old age.     

Changes in anthropometrical characteristics during two years in 6 year old children

The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in anthropometrical characteristics during the last year (autumn-spring) in preschool and first year (autumn-spring) in school. Changes in anthropometrical characteristics during summer months were also studied (spring-autumn). The subjects were 130 boys and 122 girls, 6 years of age at the beginning of the investigation. The body height and mass were measured and the BMI (kg/m2) was calculated. In total, eight skinfolds, 10 girths and two bone widths were measured. In boys, the body height and mass were higher than in girls, while the skinfold thicknesses were thicker in girls. There were only very few significant differences between sexes in girth parameters. The width parameters were higher in boys. Our results indicated that there were more significant changes in skinfold thickness, girths and width parameters during winter in preschool in comparison with first year in school in boys, while there were only a very few significant changes during summer months in boys. In contrast, there were more significant changes in school in girls. The Spearman correlations between baseline and after 6, 12 and 18 months of study indicated that the tracking of body height was high in boys and girls. Body mass tracking was high in girls and moderate in boys, while BMI tracking was moderate in both groups. The tracking coefficients of skinfold thicknesses were relatively stable during the two years of study and mostly at the moderate level (r = 0.3-0.6). Tracking coefficients of girths measures were at moderate level, but lower in boys in comparison with girls. It was concluded that social changes and probably changes in the physical activity during transition from preschool to school slightly influenced the measured anthropometrical parameters.     

Low-grade inflammation markers in children and adolescents: Influence of anthropometric characteristics and CRP and IL6 polymorphisms

Overweight and obesity are associated with chronic and subclinical inflammation due to an imbalance of inflammatory mediators. However, the association with gene polymorphism has been rarely studied in children. The aim of this study was to determine if serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are related to the IL6 rs1800795, IL6 rs2069845 and CRP rs1205 polymorphisms (SNPs) according to body mass index (BMI) in a sample of children and adolescents. A cross-sectional study in 470 students between 7 and 17 years of age of anthropometric characteristics, high sensitivity-CRP (Hs-CRP) and IL-6 levels and three SNPs genotyped. The prevalence ratio of hs-CRP > 3 mg/L in obese individuals was 4.15 (CI 2.43–7.06; p = 0.01), and it was 1.91 (CI 1.03–3.55; p = 0.03) in overweight individuals and 1.74 (CI 1.05–2.88 p = 0.03) in females. Individuals with waist circumference (WC) and body fat percentage (BF%) alterations showed elevated levels of hs-CRP (p = 4.3 × 10⁻⁵ and p = 5.3 × 10⁻⁶). The combination of any two anthropometric measurement increases CRP levels, especially combinations with obesity body mass index (BMI): BMI + WC and BMI + BF%. Among the overweight/obesity group, T allele carriers of CRP rs1205 showed lower levels of hs-CRP (0.5, IQR = 0.3–1.8 mg/L) than CC homozygotes (1.5, IQR = 0.4–3.4 mg/L, p = 0.018). Additionally, considering subjects with two or three anthropometric alterations for CRP rs1205: rs1205 T allele carriers had lower levels of hs-CRP (0.7, IQR = 0.3–2.7 mg/L) than CC homozygotes (1.2, IQR = 0.5–3.5 mg/L, p = 0.02). In conclusion, carriers of the rs1205/T allele with higher BMIs had lower levels of hs-CRP. Schoolchildren who were overweight/obese had higher levels of CRP and IL-6, whereas individuals with WC and BF% alterations had higher levels of CRP.     

Ethnic differences in anthropometric characteristics of young children and their parents

The distribution of body fat, or fat patterning, is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, independent of obesity. Furthermore, the incidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes varies by ethnicity. We documented ethnic differences in anthropometric characteristics and body fat distribution between Anglo, Black, and Mexican American men (n = 101), women (n = 245), boys (n = 111), and girls (n = 111). We used aggregates of skinfold measures to examine ethnic differences in the deposition of fat in body compartments (body, trunk, leg, and arm) and analyzed trunk-extremity skinfold ratios to determine which best reflected ethnic differences in fat distribution. The results show that Mexican American mothers have larger skinfold ratios and more body fat (as determined by skinfold aggregates) than either Anglo or Black American mothers, whereas Black American mothers have larger ratios than Anglo American mothers. Mexican American fathers also have larger skinfold ratios but not more body fat (skinfold aggregates) than Anglo American fathers. Mexican American fathers have more body fat than Black American fathers, but we found no differences between skinfold ratios. The ethnic differences among children in skinfold ratios and aggregates are similar to those found among fathers, with more differences among girls than boys. Fat patterning differences do exist among the three ethnicities, with greater trunk fat among Mexican and Black Americans. Those ethnicities are known to be at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.     

Fecal microbiome composition and stability in 4- to 8-year old children is associated with dietary patterns and nutrient intake

How long-term dietary intake shapes microbiota composition and stability in young children is poorly understood. Herein, the temporal variability in stool microbiota composition in relation to habitual dietary patterns of 4- to 8-year-old children (n=22) was investigated. Fecal samples were collected at baseline, 6 weeks and 6 months. Bacterial composition and volatile fatty acids were assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing and gas-chromatography, respectively. Nutrient intake was assessed using 3-day food diaries and dietary patterns were empirically derived from a food frequency questionnaire. Using a factor loading of >0.45 for a food group to be a major contributor to the overall dietary pattern, two dietary patterns were found to be associated with distinct microbiome composition. Dietary Pattern 1 (DP1), characterized by intake of fish, protein foods, refined carbohydrates, vegetables, fruit, juice and sweetened beverages, kid’s meals and snacks and sweets, was associated with higher relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Bacteroides and Ruminococcus and lower abundance of Bifidobacterium, Prevotella, Blautia and Roseburia. Dietary Pattern 2 (DP2), characterized by intake of grains, dairy and legumes, nuts and seeds, was associated with higher relative abundance of Cyanobacteria and Phascolarctobacterium and lower abundance of Dorea and Eubacterium. Fruit and starchy foods were present in both patterns, but were more associated with DP1 and DP2, respectively. Temporal stability of microbiota over a 6-month period was associated with baseline dietary patterns. Understanding how dietary intake contributes to microbiota composition and stability in early life in important for dietary recommendations and designing clinical interventions for microbiota-associated diseases.     

The effect of lactate concentration on the handgrip strength during judo bouts

Judo is a combat sport in which the athletes attempt to hold and control their adversary through gripping techniques (kumi-kata) to apply opportune throwing techniques (nage-waza). Twelve male judo athletes, representing national teams, were recruited to investigate the changes in the maximal isometric strength in both hands before (pre) and after (post) 4 judo bouts and its relationship with the maximal blood lactic acid concentration. The subjects performed a maximal isometric contraction with each hand immediately before and after each bout. A blood sample was taken at 1, 3, and 14 minutes after each bout, and the lactic acid concentration was determined. An overall effect of the successive bouts on the maximal isometric handgrip strength of prebouts was observed for both hands (p < 0.05) but not in that of postbouts (p > 0.05). The dominant hand showed an overall decrease in the maximal isometric strength because of the bout, with the decrease being significant for the first, third, and fourth bouts (p < 0.05). The nondominant hand only showed a significant decrease in the first prebout and postbout (p < 0.05). We observed an inverse relationship between the maximal isometric handgrip strength of postbouts and maximum lactic acid concentration (Lacmax), and between the maximal isometric handgrip strength of postbouts and the lactic acid concentration at minute 14 of the recovery period (Lac14) (p < 0.05). These results show that successive judo bouts significantly reduce the maximal isometric strength of both hands and may suggest that fatigue of each hand depends on different factors. An enhanced understanding of the behavior of the isometric handgrip strength, and the factors that affect grip fatigue during judo bouts in the dominant and nondominant hands, can aid coaches in developing optimal training and exercise interventions that are aimed at mitigating decreases in the capacity of judo athletes to perform a grip.