The Study
Adiposity, Fat-Free Mass Index, and Muscular Strength in Children: Independent Effects on Functional Performance in a Tertiary Pediatric Endocrinology Cohort
This study looked at a group of kids and found that those with more body fat tended to have weaker muscles when you compare their strength to their size. But it didn’t change anything or make kids lose fat — it just watched and recorded what was already happening, so we can’t say fat causes weak muscles.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Kids who carry more body fat may look stronger because they're bigger, but when you compare strength to their size, they're actually weaker in their muscles.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — even if a child is overweight, their muscles may not work as well for their size, which could affect sports, climbing, or daily movement.
- 2Kids with more body fat had 0.203 kg less handgrip strength per 1% increase in body fat, even after accounting for muscle mass.
- 3FFMI predicted strength better than total muscle weight.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Medicina
Year
2026
Authors
Bogdan Mihai Pascu, Ana Maria Cula, Anca Bălănescu, P. Bălănescu, Ioan Gherghina
Related Content
Claims (6)
Children and adolescents with higher body fat tend to have lower handgrip strength relative to their body weight, even when accounting for age, sex, puberty, activity level, and lean body mass.
Children and adolescents with overweight or obesity have stronger handgrips than those with normal weight, but this is because they have more muscle and larger bodies, not because their muscles are stronger.
In children and adolescents aged 5–18, a higher percentage of body fat is linked to weaker handgrip strength even when accounting for muscle mass.
In children and adolescents aged 5–18, the ratio of lean body mass to height predicts handgrip strength more accurately than total lean body mass alone, showing that adjusting for height better reflects muscle development during growth.
In children and teenagers aged 5 to 18, handgrip strength increases as they progress through puberty, even when accounting for differences in body size and physical activity levels.
People with a higher strength-to-weight ratio tend to have better overall health.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.