Mixed
Grip strength follows a life-course trajectory of increasing to a peak in early adulthood (males 29-39 years, females 26-42 years), maintaining through midlife, and declining thereafter, with significant gender differences emerging from adolescence.
Use grip strength as a vital sign that changes with age. Do not compare your current strength to your 20-year-old self or to the opposite sex. Instead, compare your measurement to age- and gender-specific centiles. A value below the 10th centile for your age/gender group may indicate 'weak grip' and warrants further clinical assessment for frailty or sarcopenia risk, especially if you are over 50.
Our results suggested three overall periods: an increase to peak in early adult life, maintenance through to midlife, and decline from midlife onwards. Males were on average stronger than females from adolescence onwards: males’ peak median grip was 51 kg between ages 29 and 39, compared to 31 kg in females between ages 26 and 42.
Why this rating
Large-scale pooled data from 12 general population studies (N=49,964 participants, 60,803 observations) covering ages 4-90, with robust sensitivity analyses.
Source
Grip Strength across the Life Course: Normative Data from Twelve British Studies
Richard Dodds et al. · PLoS ONE · 2014
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