To explore the relationship between adductor pollicis muscle thickness and markers of body composition and function in healthy male and female university students and staff.

Abstract

Background: Lean mass is a fundamental determinant of development and growth as well as being a clinical marker of nutritional status, disease and the ageing process (Cruz-Jentoft et al. 2010). The quantification of lean mass allows identification of appropriate outcome measures and effective monitoring of nutritional interventions (Thibault et al. 2011). The adductor pollicis muscle (APM) has recently been suggested as a promising marker of muscle mass and muscle function for some clinical conditions such as chronic renal failure, stroke and haemodialysis patients, however there is limited research within healthy populations. Objective: To explore the relationship between adductor pollicis muscle thickness and markers of body composition and function in healthy male and female university students and staff. Methods: An exploratory, observational, cross-sectional, pilot study was conducted that involved 19 randomly recruited healthy participants. All participants were subjected to measurements of adductor pollicis muscle (APM), body composition (assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis), body mass index (BMI) and handgrip strength (HGS). Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to identify possible correlations between adductor pollicis muscle thickness and the following variables; body fat (%), body fat (Kg) , lean mass (%), lean mass (Kg) body fat mass index, fat free mass index, phase angle, body mass index and handgrip strength. Results: Adductor pollicis muscle thickness was negatively correlated with body fat (%) (r-0.537 p 0.018) and positively correlated with lean mass (%) (r 0.534 p0.019) lean mass (kg) (r 0.663 p 0.002) fat free mass index (kg/m²) (r 0.568 p 0.011) and handgrip strength (kg) (r 0.468 p 0.043) Conclusion: Adductor pollicis muscle thickness correlated with markers of lean mass and handgrip strength. The results suggest that adductor pollicis muscle thickness may be a determinant of lean mass and handgrip strength within a healthy adult population. Further studies, undertaken with a larger sample are needed to confirm these findings. Keywords: Adductor pollicis muscle thickness, Lean mass, Handgrip strength, Healthy adults