title: The association among three aspects of physical fitness and metabolic syndrome in a Korean elderly population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of current study is to evaluate the association between physical fitness level and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in a Korean elderly population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study measuring physical fitness and components of MS in a health promotion center of a general hospital for routine health check-ups. A total of 227 subjects >60 years old agreed to participate. A lifestyle questionnaire that included cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity was checked. Body weight, height, blood pressure, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, C-reactive protein, and glycated hemoglobin were measured. Muscular strength was assessed by measuring grasping power. Muscular endurance was evaluated using a sit-up test. Cardiopulmonary fitness was assessed via the Tecumseh step test (measuring hear rates at 1 min post-exercise).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highest tertile muscular endurance group (sit-ups >15 in men, >10 in women) was 0.37 times less likely to have MS [95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.17-0.84; p = 0.036] compared to that in the lowest tertile group (<11 in men, 0 in women), and the highest tertile in the cardiopulmonary fitness group (heart rate at rest >91/min in men, >92/min in women) was 2.81 times more likely to have MS (95 % CI 1.27-6.18; p = 0.038) compared to that in the lowest tertile group (<81/min in men, <80/min in women).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cardiopulmonary fitness and muscular endurance were related to MS in a Korean elderly population after adjusting for age, sex, current smoker, current alcohol drinking, and physical activity. Older adults should be encouraged to increase their cardiopulmonary fitness and muscular endurance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, International St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University College of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea ; Institution for Translational and Clinical Research, International St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University College of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hee-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Yonsei Woori Geriatric Hospital, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Hwan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Cardiopulmonary fitness; Elderly; Metabolic syndrome; Muscular endurance; Physical fitness