Grip strength as a health marker: what 140,000 people showed
A hand dynamometer is a simple squeeze test. In very large studies, a weaker squeeze lines up with a higher risk of dying. That does not make the squeeze itself the thing to train.
Short answer
- PURE measured grip in about 140,000 adults in 17 countries, then followed them for about four years.
- Each 5 kg lower grip was linked to a 16% higher risk of death from any cause.
- In that dataset, grip predicted death better than blood pressure.
- UK Biobank, a separate cohort, pointed the same way. Whether training grip changes risk is still untested.
How grip is measured
The device is a hand dynamometer. You squeeze, it records force in kilograms. The test takes seconds. It is not a full fitness exam. Leong and colleagues used it in the PURE cohort and published the follow-up in The Lancet (2015).
What PURE found
Each 5 kg lower grip strength was linked to a 16% higher risk of death from any cause. Grip also lined up with cardiovascular death and, in their models, predicted death better than systolic blood pressure. The follow-up was about four years. "Linked" and "predicted" describe the statistics. They do not mean a weak grip is the cause, or that raising the number on the device is a treatment.
The same direction in UK Biobank
Celis-Morales and colleagues looked at grip in UK Biobank and published in the BMJ (2018). Lower grip was again associated with higher risks of death and of several diseases. A second cohort that agrees is more interesting than one headline. It is still observation: people who are already ill, frail or inactive often squeeze less.
A marker, not a target
Grip is a sign of overall strength and health, not a score to chase. The authors are clear that these studies do not test whether grip exercises change the risk. A different trial question, heavy resistance training around retirement, is covered in [heavy lifting at retirement](../heavy-lifting-at-retirement-study/). That post is about lifting, not about a hand dynamometer.
This post is general information, not medical or dietary advice.
Sources
- Leong D. P. et al. (2015), grip strength and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in PURE, The Lancet. PubMed
- Celis-Morales C. A. et al. (2018), associations of grip strength with disease and mortality in UK Biobank, BMJ. PubMed
Video transcript
Grip strength, measured in a hundred and forty thousand people across seventeen countries.
The PURE study measured grip with a hand device, then followed people for about four years.
Each five kilos lower grip was linked to sixteen percent higher risk of death from any cause. Grip predicted death better than blood pressure.
Grip is a marker. Whether training your grip changes risk still needs testing, the authors say.
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This blog does not give medical advice. Health disclaimer.