HealthLinksSC.com | 59 Whether we like to admit it or not, as we age, we lose muscle mass and our immune system weakens, making us more vulnerable to illness. But there is a simple and proven biomarker to assess how fast we are aging and whether we need to take steps to improve our health and wellness. Multiple research studies have shown that grip strength can serve as a strong predictor of mortality and a vital health indicator to predict overall muscle strength and how well a person is aging – including a long-range study published in 2022 which used a standard measuring device called a dynamometer to evaluate grip strength in a sample of 1,275 men and women. Grip strength can herald risk for chronic disease and be a sign of longevity, as people with good grip strength tend to be healthier, age more slowly and have stronger immune systems to fend off disease and illness. Kim Durst, PT, DPT, clinical director of physical therapy at Axis Hand and Physical Therapy, described grip strength as a reliable and validated way to gauge your health. “So it’s basically a good indicator of someone’s overall muscle strength and muscle mass,” noted Durst. “It’s quick and it’s easy.” Kimberly Young, M.D., an orthopedic and hand surgeon with Roper St. Francis Healthcare, said grip strength and muscle mass are important for social independence and safety and mobility, including performing basic daily tasks such as opening jars: “It allows you to stay independent.” Diminished grip strength can be a sign of overall muscle fatigue and is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. A 2015 study published in the medical journal The Lancet that assessed the value of grip strength found it to be a stronger predictor of cardiovascular death than blood pressure. By Colin McCandless GRIP STRENGTH CAN INDICATE HOW WELL YOU ARE AGING
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