Research

Mixed

Lower grip strength is independently associated with increased all-cause mortality in men aged 60 and older, with higher strength levels conferring a protective effect.

For men over 60, maintaining higher grip strength is a strong predictor of living longer, independent of how much muscle you have or how active you are. Focus on resistance training to maintain or improve hand grip strength, as this functional measure is a key indicator of overall health and longevity.

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Lower and declining strength are associated with increased mortality, independent of physical activity and muscle mass. In men 60 years, rate of loss of strength was more important than the actual levels. In men 60 years, strength was more protective than the rate of loss, which persisted when muscle mass was considered.
E. J. Metter et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2002

Why this rating

Longitudinal study with 25-year follow-up and 40-year mortality tracking, large sample size (1071 men), but observational design limits causal inference.

Source

Skeletal Muscle Strength as a Predictor of All-Cause Mortality in Healthy Men

E. J. Metter et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2002

DOI 10.1093/gerona/57.10.b359

cohort · n=1071Cited 844×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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