Handgrip strength adjusted for body mass and stratified by age and sex: normative data for healthy Brazilian adults based on a systematic review

Purpose The literature has indicated that handgrip strength (HGS) seems to be associated with nutritional and health status. However, normative HGS data are usually neglecting the importance of considering body mass (BM). The objective of this study is to provide normative data of HGS adjusted for BM of healthy Brazilian aged 20-60 from a systematic review. Methods Searches were performed in the MEDLINE and Scopus databases to identify cross-sectional articles with normative data. Seven studies were selected considering population-representativity. Results Five of the selected studies presented high methodological quality, one moderate quality, and only one low quality. Allometric adjustments were applied in absolute values of HGS to remove the BM effect. Handgrip strength data of 3679 men and 3482 women were analyzed. Absolute and relative (adjusted for BM) normative data of HGS were presented according to six age groups. Mean absolute (and relative) values of HGS for men varied between 44.39 kgf (4.44) and 40.37 kgf (3.97), between the younger and older age group, respectively. As for women, mean absolute (and relative) values of HGS varied between 26.73 kgf (3.88) and 22.37 kgf (3.15). Men's and women's equations were proposed to estimate expected values of HGS adjusted for BM. Conclusion Our results revealed that HGS of Brazilians adult decreases after the fourth and fifth decade of life for men and women. We suggest the use of the proposed equations to remove the BM effect of HGS for the population analyzed, and to improve the efficiency of diagnosis and therapeutic interventions.

Automated summary

The study aimed to provide adjusted normative handgrip strength data for healthy Brazilian adults aged 20-60, revealing a decrease in handgrip strength after the fourth and fifth decades of life for both men and women. The proposed equations were suggested for removing the body mass effect of handgrip strength and improving diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.