Daniel Bueno
Having a weak grip – the ability to grasp something firmly with one’s hands – has been linked to a shortened life expectancy and heightened risk of a heart attack, according to a study involving 140,000 adults between the ages of 35 and 70 in 17 countries, including Brazil (The Lancet, 13 May 2015). Low muscle strength has been repeatedly associated with premature death and physical disabilities. In this study, grip strength was measured using a hand-held dynamometer. Until now, the data had been limited to rich countries. But the most recent study included people from India, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh, in addition to subjects from Canada and Sweden. The results associated a 16% increase in risk of death from any cause and 17% increase in risk of death from a heart attack with each five-kilogram decline in grip strength. The authors of the study, led by researchers from McMaster University in Canada, suggest that since low grip strength has been proven to be a powerful predictor of death from heart trouble, it could therefore be used as a quick, low-cost test to identify the people most susceptible to a heart attack.
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