The Associations Between Health-related Physical Fitness and Fasting Blood Glucose in War Veterans: a Population-based Study
Abstract The main purpose of the study was to analyze the associations between health-related physical fitness and fasting blood glucose in war veterans. In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 764 men and women aged 45–75 years, who were part of the Homeland War between 1990 and 1995 (33.5% women). Health-related physical fitness included: 1) fat mass and fat-free mass (body composition), 2) push-ups in 30 sec (muscular dynamic endurance of upper extremities), 3) sit-ups in 30 sec (repetitive upper body strength), 4) chair-stands in 30 sec (lower body strength), 5) sit-and-reach test (flexibility) and 6) the 2-minute step test (cardiorespiratory function). Laboratory measurement of fasting blood glucose was performed according to standardized procedures in resting seated position after a 12-h overnight fast. Generalized estimating equations with multiple regression models were used to calculate the associations between health-related physical fitness and fasting blood glucose. In model adjusted for sex and age, fasting blood glucose was associated with fat mass (β = 0.12, p = 0.012), fat-free mass (β=-0.19, p < 0.001), push-ups in 30 sec (β=-0.19, p < 0.001), chair-stands in 30 sec (β=-0.15, p < 0.001), sit-ups in 30 sec (β=-0.21, p < 0.001), sit-and-reach test (β=-0.15, p < 0.001) and the 2-minute step test (β=-0.25, p < 0.001). The multiple regression model was strongly correlated with fasting blood glucose (R = 0.78, R2 = 0.61, standard error of the estimate = 0.88 mmol/L, p < 0.001). This study shows that fasting blood glucose may be predicted by health-related physical fitness test in war veterans.