Research

Mixed

In individuals aged 80 and older, higher grip strength and higher physical performance (SPPB score) are strong, independent predictors of lower all-cause mortality and lower risk of hospitalization.

For adults over 80, maintaining the ability to walk, rise from a chair, and balance (physical performance) is more critical for avoiding hospitalization and death than simply having large muscles or high grip strength. Focus on functional exercises that improve balance and mobility rather than just lifting weights.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
The adjusted Cox proportional hazards model confirmed that participants with high grip strength or a high SPPB score had a lower risk of mortality, independent of muscle mass, comorbidity, and inflammatory markers.
Delphine Legrand et al. · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2014

Why this rating

Large prospective observational cohort (n=560), long follow-up (median 33.5 months), adjusted for major confounders, but not a randomized controlled trial.

Source

Muscle Strength and Physical Performance as Predictors of Mortality, Hospitalization, and Disability in the Oldest Old

Delphine Legrand et al. · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2014

DOI 10.1111/jgs.12840

cohort · n=560Cited 241×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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