Grip Strength Linked to Early-Death Risk

How’s your hand grip? A new study suggests that answering this question could help assess your risk of heart attack, stroke and early death. Grip strength has been shown to be a good indicator of overall muscle strength. In this study, researchers looked at results of grip-strength tests on nearly 140,000 adults. They were 35 to 70 years old and came from 17 countries. In the next 4 years, nearly 3,400 died. People with low grip strength were more likely to die or have a heart attack or stroke than those who were stronger. This was true even after researchers accounted for other factors that affect death and heart disease risk. These factors included age, education level and whether people smoked, drank alcohol or exercised. Every 11-pound drop in grip strength was linked with a 17% increased risk of heart-related death and a 16% increased risk of death from any cause.