The strength of the handshake is a criterion of good health, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal The Lancet. Indeed, hand grip strength is a marker of the aging process and a reliable test for determining premature death.
Researchers at McMaster University (Canada) followed 140,000 adults aged 35 to 70 for four years in 17 different countries. Their muscle strength was measured with a handgrip dynamometer. They conducted a study and medical follow-up for 4 days to understand if there was a link between the strength of the hand and the health of the participants in terms of the occurrence of diseases such as diabetescancers, cardiovascular diseases or premature death.
The results of this study reveal that there is a correlation between the strength of the handshake and the risk of dying prematurely from all causes.
“The idea is not new. But loss of grip strength could be a good marker of the aging process, perhaps because of the rarity of muscle diseases that alter this function,” according to a commentary published by The Lancet.
A 5 kg drop in strength in the handshake is associated with a 16% higher risk of dying prematurely from all causes. It is also associated with a 7% increased risk of suffering a heart attack and 9% of having a stroke.
“The hand strength vigor test is a ‘more reliable index’ than systolic blood pressure in predicting premature death,” according to researcher Darryl Leong of the University © McMaster of Hamilton in Canada who conducted the study.
A simple and inexpensive test
Grip strength is a powerful and simple indicator of future disease, morbidity and mortality. “Handshake strength could be an easy and inexpensive test to assess risk of death and risk of cardiovascular disease,†says researcher Darryl Leong.
“Further studies will now be needed to determine whether increased muscle strength reduces the risk of mortality or cardiovascular disease,” concludes Dr. Darryl Leong.
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