Association of Depression With Handgrip Strength and Muscle Mass in Young and Middle-Aged American Adults From NHANES 2011–2014: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose To investigate relationship between depression and handgrip strength (HGS) and appendicular lean mass (ALM) in Young and middle-aged adults. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Data from participants aged 20-59 from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Sample In a study of 4927 middle-aged Americans, 2564 (52.30%) were men and 2363 (47.7%) were women, with an average age of 38.57 ± 11.72. Among this group, 716 individuals (14.53%) experienced mild depression, while 385 individuals (7.81%) suffered from moderate to severe depression. Measures Data of HGS and ALM were collected by handgrip test, and whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Linear and logistic regression, restricted cubic spline regression analyses and subgroup analysis were conducted to evaluate the association. Results Following multivariate logistic regression analysis, the study showed that a 1-point increase in the depression score was associated with a 4% increase in the probability of reduced grip strength for both males (95% CI: 1.01-1.07) and females (95% CI: 1.01-1.06). Additionally, for males, there was a 5% increase in the likelihood of decreased muscle mass (95% CI: 1.01-1.09), whereas the decline in muscle mass for females did not exhibit statistical significance. Subgroup analysis indicated that the inverse relationship between depression and grip strength, along with the negative association between depression and muscle mass among males, remained consistent in the 40-59 age range. Conclusion This research revealed an inverse relationship between depression and grip strength in middle-aged and young individuals, and a negative association between depression and ALM was only noted in males. Early intervention could be beneficial from age 40.