Relationship between skeletal muscle mass and respiratory function of healthy adults

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the muscle mass and respiratory function of healthy adults. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 32 males and 19 females with a mean age of 19.4 ±0.8 years. The subjects’ muscle mass was measured, and grip strength, toe-grip strength, forced vital capacity (FVC), %FVC, one-second forced expiratory volume (FEV1), and the FEV1/FVC ratio were also determined. The appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) was calculated using the measurements, and its relationships with the items of physical function were investigated. [Results] SMI of the subjects was 7.49 ± 0.62 kg/m2 for males and 6.30 ± 0.49 kg/m2 for females, and significant positive correlations between SMI and grip strength (r=0.763) and FVC (r=0.779) were found. [Conclusion] A positive correlation was found between SMI and the grip strength and FVC of healthy adults.