Getting a grip

HAND strength has always been tied to general wellbeing.

A person’s grip is also a biomarker for overall health owing to its links with many other healthrelated variables.

These include bonemineral density, nutrition, cognitive impairment, sleep problems and quality of life, according to Richard Bohannon, author of ‘An Indispensable Biomarker for Older Adults’.

An earlier 2015 study, which monitored nearly 140,000 older adults over four years, found that a frail grip was related to higher incidences of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

The researchers also found that it foretold the likelihood of early death more effectively than blood pressure.

HAND STRENGTH:

Long-accepted as a biomarker for overall health.