title: Which is more important for reducing the odds of metabolic syndrome in men: Cardiorespiratory or muscular fitness?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine combined associations of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscular fitness (MF) with metabolic syndrome (MetSy) in a sample of young men.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 557 men aged 19-47 years. CRF was quantified as peak oxygen uptake measured during an incremental treadmill test by a metabolic cart, while a composite MF score was calculated as the sum of z-scores from a push-ups and sit-ups test. The presence of MetSy was defined according to the updated NCEP-ATP III criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a graded inverse relationship between CRF and MetSy presence. The most aerobically fit individuals had 90% lower odds of having MetSy compared to their least fit counterparts, independent of MF (odds ratio [OR] = 0.10, 95% CI = 0.04-0.21). Conversely, an increment in MF across the first three quartiles was not associated with lower odds of MetSy; only the most muscularly fit men were 2.5 times less likely to have MetSy (OR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.21-0.78). Finally, participants with high CRF but low MF exhibited a 50% decrease in odds of having MetSy (OR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.26-0.91), while no protective effect was found for having high MF but low CRF (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.55-1.62).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CRF exhibited a strong protective effect against having MetSy, while the effect of MF was less pronounced.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Marjeta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mišigoj-Duraković
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Maroje
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sorić
authors.affiliation: Croatian Defence Academy 'Petar Zrinski', Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Matika
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jukić
authors.affiliation: The World Life College, Waterport, New York, USA.|The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Zijad
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Duraković
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D010809:Physical Fitness; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen