Examining the mediating role of muscle quantity in adolescents: associations with adiposity, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, and cardiometabolic risk factors

The aim of this study was to evaluate the mediation role of muscle quantity in the relationship between physical fitness and cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) in adolescents. This cross-sectional study conducted with 120 adolescents of both sexes, aged between 10 and 17 years. Body mass, height, fat mass (FM), lean mass, blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and 1 repetition maximum strength (1-RM) with evaluation of the leg press 45° (RM-leg), bench press (RM-bench) and arm curl (RM-arm). Body mass index z-score, appendicular skeletal muscle mass, appendicular skeletal muscle mass index, lean mass index (LMI), muscle-to-fat ratio (MFR), age at peak height velocity, and CMRF z-score were calculated. The direct relation between FM and CMRF was mediated by the LMI (26%) and inverse relation between CRF and CMRF was mediated by the LMI (26%). For girls, the direct relation between FM and CMRF was mediated by the LMI (32%); the inverse relation between CRF, RM-leg, RM-arm and CMRF was mediated by the LMI (32%, 33%, and 32%, respective). For boys, the indirect effect was not significant, indicating that LMI is not a mediator in the relation between FM, CRF, 1-RM with CMRF. The direct relation between RM-leg and CMRF was mediated by the MRF (16%). This finding evidenced the importance of promoting a healthy lifestyle to improve physical fitness levels and the quantity of muscle mass in adolescents.