The firmness of your hand grip is better than your blood pressure at assessing your health, Hamilton researchers have found, and reduced muscular strength, measured by your grip, is consistently linked with early death, disability and illness. 
 
 The research by the Population Health Research Institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences was published in the journal The Lancet today. 
 
 "Grip strength could be an easy and inexpensive test to assess an individual's risk of death and cardiovascular disease," said principal investigator Dr. Darryl Leong, an assistant professor of medicine of McMaster's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and cardiologist for the hospital. "Doctors or other healthcare professionals can measure grip strength to identify patients with major illnesses such as heart failure or stoke who are at particularly high risk of dying from their illness." 
 
 The study followed almost 140,000 adults aged 35 to 70 over four years in 17 countries. Their muscle strength was measured using a handgrip dynamometer. They were taking part in the institute's Prospective Urban-Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. 
 
 The researchers found that for every five kilogram decline in grip strength, there was a one in six increased risk of death from any cause. There was the same 17% higher risk of death from either heart disease or stroke, or non-cardiovascular conditions. 
 
 These associations with grip strength were not accounted for by differences in age, sex, education level, employment status, physical activity, tobacco and alcohol use, diet, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio or other conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, coronary artery disease, COPD, stroke or heart failure, or their country's wealth. 
 
 Healthy grip strength does depend on the individual's size and weight, and in this study appeared to vary with ethnicity. Further analysis is needed to identify the cut-offs for healthy grip strength in people from different countries. 
 
 Leong added that more research is also needed to establish whether efforts to improve muscle strength are likely to reduce an individual's risk of death and cardiovascular disease. 
 
 The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and grants from national health institutions of 15 other countries or pharmaceutical companies. 

 A strong or weak hand grip carries more than just social cues. It may also help measure an individual’s risk for having a heart attack or stroke, or dying from cardiovascular disease. 
 
 As part of the international Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study, researchers measured grip strength in nearly 140,000 adults in 17 countries and followed their health for an average of four years. A device called a dynamometer was used to assess grip strength. 
 
 Each 11-pound decrease in grip strength over the course of the study was linked to a 16% higher risk of dying from any cause, a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease, a 9% higher risk of stroke, and a 7% higher risk of heart attack. 
 
 The connections between grip strength and death or cardiovascular disease remained strong even after the researchers adjusted for other things that can contribute to heart disease or death, such as age, smoking, exercise, and other factors. The findings were published online in The Lancet. Interestingly, grip strength was a better predictor of death or cardiovascular disease than blood pressure. 
 
 “Grip strength could be an easy and inexpensive test to assess an individual’s risk of death and cardiovascular disease,” said lead author Dr. Darryl Leong, from the Population Health Research Institute at Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster University in Canada, in a news release. 
 
 Is grip strength a measure of biological age? 
 
 The findings from the PURE study aren’t new. Previous research has also linked grip strength with future disability, death, and the onset of cardiovascular disease in adults. But this is the largest study to have made the connection. The fact that grip strength was a relevant measure across high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries lends credence to the findings. 
 
 An individual’s age in years (chronological age) can be quite different from his or her biological age. Although there’s no exact definition for biological age, it generally indicates whether the body is functioning better or worse than its chronological age. 
 
 Many things influence biological age. Key factors include overall physical fitness, the presence or absence of certain medical conditions, and muscle strength. 
 
 The PURE study suggests that simply measuring one’s hand grip strength could be a good way to assess biological age. In an editorial accompanying the PURE results, Avan Aihie Sayer and Thomas Kirkwood of the University of Southampton and Newcastle University, both in the United Kingdom, suggest that “grip strength might act as a biomarker of ageing across the life course.” 
 
 One intriguing finding was that a weaker hand grip wasn’t associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cancer, or other chronic conditions. So why would it be linked with a greater risk of dying? The researchers suggest that weaker muscle strength makes it more likely that a person will die sooner if he or she develops a chronic medical problem, compared with those who have more muscle strength. In other words, muscle strength could be good for survival. 
 
 Strong muscles need work, nutrients, rest 
 
 To build muscle strength, do resistance training two or three times per week. Give your muscles one or two days off in between workouts. 
 
 Most people turn to dumbbells and weight machines to build muscles. Resistance bands work just as well. They are flat or tubular rubber bands that provide resistance as you move your arms and legs through different ranges of motion. 
 
 You don’t have to limit muscle building to workouts. Take advantage of daily activities to challenge your muscles. For example: 
 
 Lift a carton of milk a few times before you put it back in the refrigerator to build your arm muscles. 
 
 Take the stairs whenever possible. This will build the muscles in your legs, hips, buttocks, and abdomen. 
 
 Get active while talking on the phone or standing in line by doing leg lifts and heel raises. This will help strengthen the muscles in your legs and buttocks. 
 
 It’s also important to get enough sleep. Sleep is critical for muscle recovery and proper healing of stressed tissues. Aim for seven to eight hours per night. That will give your body time to repair muscle tissue and replenish your muscle’s energy stores. 
 
 Finally, your muscles need healthy nutrients to get stronger. You don’t need protein supplements or lots of meat. Beans, nuts, and fish can provide plenty of healthy protein. Get your carbs from whole grains and foods made from them. And eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. 

 Image copyright Thinkstock 
 
 The chances of having a heart attack, stroke or dying young may be hidden in the palm of the hand, a study suggests. 
 
 A trial on nearly 140,000 people in 14 countries, published in the Lancet, suggests grip strength is better than blood pressure at predicting risk. 
 
 The international research team said it would be a "simple, inexpensive" tool for doctors. 
 
 Experts argued the link between grip and the heart was unclear and needed more study. 
 
 The maximum crushing force you can exert in your grip naturally declines with age. 
 
 But those whose grip strength declines fastest may be at greater risk of health problems, the study suggests. 
 
 Women in their mid-20s have a grip strength about 75lb (34kg), which falls to 53lb in a 70-year-old. 
 
 The equivalent figures for men are 119lb (54kg) falling to 84lb. 
 
 The huge trial, in 14 countries, showed each 11lb (5kg) reduction in grip strength increased the odds of an early death by 16%. 
 
 The odds of a fatal heart problem increased by 17% and a stroke by 9%. 
 
 Doctors currently calculate the chances of a heart attack or stroke by filling in a questionnaire with the patient by assessing age, whether they smoke, obesity, cholesterol levels, blood pressure where they live and family history. 
 
 The researchers argue grip strength makes more accurate predictions than blood pressure alone and could be a new tool for assessing risk. 
 
 'Easy test' 
 
 Dr Darryl Leong, one of the researchers at McMaster University in Canada, said: "Grip strength could be an easy and inexpensive test to assess an individual's risk of death and cardiovascular disease. 
 
 "Further research is needed to establish whether efforts to improve muscle strength are likely to reduce an individual's risk of death and cardiovascular disease." 
 
 It is still unknown why worsening heart health could manifest as a weaker grip. 
 
 Suggestions included hardening arteries reducing muscle strength. 
 
 Doireann Maddock, from the British Heart Foundation, said: "The findings of this study are interesting. However, it doesn't explain why grip strength should be related to cardiovascular disease. 
 
 "More research is needed to understand any possible link between the two. 
 
 "The good news is we already know there are several established risk factors for cardiovascular disease and an NHS health check can assess your risk."
– Perhaps palm readers are on to something. A massive study of some 140,000 people aged 35 to 70 in 17 countries finds the palms of a person's hands may be better than blood pressure at indicating their risk of heart attack, stroke, or an early death. Specifically, researchers say quick declines in the force of a person's grip—as opposed to a slower, natural decline with age—show an increased risk for health problems, the BBC reports. Researchers monitored participants’ health over four years and used a handgrip dynamometer to measure grip strength, Harvard Health reports. Each 11-pound drop in grip strength was associated with an increase in a person's risk of dying from heart disease by 17% and from any cause by 16%. The weaker grip was also associated with an increased risk of stroke by 9% and heart attack by 7%, researchers say. There was no connection, however, to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, or other chronic conditions. Researchers aren't sure why evidence of a weak heart might appear in a person's grip, but it's possible that hardened arteries hinder muscle strength. Experts also say a person’s grip is a strong indicator of a person’s biological age—a measure of body function influenced by physical fitness, illnesses, and strength—rather than their chronological age. "Grip strength could be an easy and inexpensive test to assess an individual's risk of death and cardiovascular disease," a researcher says in a press release. "Further research is needed to establish whether efforts to improve muscle strength are likely to reduce an individual's risk of death and cardiovascular disease." (A study claims our hands were designed to punch.)