Testing people’s hand strength could be a simple, low-cost way to screen them for the risk of heart attack or stroke, The Lancet reported.
Canadian-led researchers carried out a large-scale probe into evidence that a firm hand grip is a rough yet reliable indicator of good health.
Their study, published on Thursday, covered nearly 140,000 patients aged between 35 and 70 in 17 countries, whose health was monitored over four years.
During checkups, the patients were asked to grasp a gadget called a Jamar dynamometer, which measures muscle strength.
Every 5kg decline in grip strength was linked to a 16 per cent increase in the risk of death from any cause over the study’s four years.
The decline was also associated with a seven per cent increased risk of a heart attack, and a nine per cent increased risk of a stroke.