Mixed
Low grip strength is a stronger and more consistent predictor of incident mobility impairment and mortality in older adults than low appendicular lean mass (ALM).
If you are over 65, your grip strength is a critical health marker. Low strength predicts your risk of becoming immobile or dying more accurately than your muscle size. Prioritize exercises that build functional strength (like lifting heavy objects safely) over those that only increase muscle size, as strength is the key to maintaining mobility.
Our results are consistent with the literature in that muscle strength is a stronger predictor of mobility problems than lean mass (5,24,25).
Why this rating
Large pooled sample (n=6,280) across 6 cohorts with longitudinal follow-up, though heterogeneity was noted in some subgroups.
Source
Criteria for Clinically Relevant Weakness and Low Lean Mass and Their Longitudinal Association With Incident Mobility Impairment and Mortality: The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Sarcopenia Project
Robert R. McLean et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2014
DOI 10.1093/gerona/glu012
More from this paper
- Weakness combined with normal lean mass still carries a high risk of mobility impairment, suggesting that muscle quality (function) is distinct from muscle quantity (mass).Good
- Weakness (low grip strength) predicts mortality in older men, but the association with mortality is inconsistent and weaker in women compared to mobility impairment.Moderate
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