Could testing grip strength predict heart disease risk?

Conclusion These are interesting results from a range of very different countries, showing that people with low muscle strength may be at higher risk of dying prematurely than other people. Earlier studies in high-income countries had already suggested that this was the case, but this is the first study to show it holds true across countries from high to low incomes. The study also shows that Europeans, and men from high-income countries, on average, have higher grip strength than people from lower-income countries. Interestingly, women from middle-income regions, such as China and Latin America, had slightly higher muscle strength than women from high-income countries. What we don't know from the study is why and how muscle strength is linked to the chances of death. It might seem obvious that people who are weak and frail are more at risk of death than other people, but we don't know whether this is because they are already ill, or whether their weak muscle strength makes them more vulnerable to getting ill, or less able to survive illness if they do get sick. Importantly, the study doesn't tell us what can be done for people with low muscle strength. Should we all be doing weight training to increase our strength, or would that make no difference? Low muscle strength may reflect lots of things, such as the amount of exercise people do, what type of diet they eat, their age and occupation. We know that muscle strength declines as we age, but we don't know the effect of tr...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medical practice Source Type: news