In recent days, various media have echoed the statements made in their podcast Peter Attia, expert in longevity. In your program, The Peter Attia Drivethe toilet explained that a man between 40 and 50 years should be able to load his own weight (75% of his weight in the case of women) distributed between his two hands and walk for a minute.
This raises a curious doubt: what does our grip force With longevity?
Well, although it may seem surprising, our grip strength can tell us a lot about how we are aging. Several studies published in recent years seem to confirm this relationship, turning the grip force into an important biomarker linked to healthy aging.
“People with better grip force age more slowly. Having a good grip force can slow down the immunosenescence process, or the deterioration of your immune defense associated with age,” explains Ardeshir Hashmi, a doctor at Cleveland Clinic. “You can also improve your ability to recover of diseases, or homeostenesis. Finally, it can prevent fragility. “
The lack of grip force is, for this expert, not only indicator of a faster aging, also a sign of a higher risk of chronic and even a lower life expectancy.
Scientific literature seems to secondary this relationship. A study published this year in the magazine Scientific ReportsIt is a good example of this. The study analyzed a population of 1,446 agent participants between 50 and 90 years of age, the majority (1,095) women.
The team measured the grip force of each participant, who also filled a survey focused on estimate your quality of life. The team found a significant relationship between grip and the general evaluation of the level of quality of life.
Another recent study, published in 2023 in the magazine Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and MuscleHe used biological watches to study the relationship between grip and aging force. Biological watches are different biomarkers that indicate to what extent or what rhythm our body ages beyond our standard chronological age.
The study responsible for the study also found an inverse relationship between aging, measured through markers of DNA methylation, and grip force. In other words: people with greater force of grip tend to age more slowly as observed in this study.
Published in the same magazine, but a year earlier, another study found that the little grip force was associated with a major risk of dementia Already greater mortality. This taking into account associated factors that could lead to establishing the relationship.
These are some of the recent examples found in the literature. In 2019, a review of the literature published in the magazine Clinical Interventions in Aging He had already found, in previous analysis, evidence of the link between the grip force and health, through factors as varied as general strength, density of bone minerals, fractures, malnutrition, cognitive impediments, diabetes, depression or quality of life, among others.
Remedying loss
Some doctors, such as Dr. Hashmi recommend exercise to avoid the loss of this grip force, a loss associated with the age that tends to begin around the age of 50.
According to hashmi, this can be as simple as squeezing a ball (such as the classic antiestrés balls) for at least 10 minutes and twice a day. This without forgetting Conventional exercises that can help us to keep ourselves in form in more advanced ages.
Although the recommendation to exercise and lead an active life is never more, it should be noted that the relationship between grip force and our welfare and longevity is complex. Correlation does not always imply a direct cause ratio. For example, grip force can perfectly be correlated with our general health status.
People who exercise will probably have greater grip force and also a better state of health. In addition, we know some forms of dementia and neurological diseases such as scleriosis not only reduce our quality of life, but also They affect our mobility and our ability to handle and develop when it comes to doing so.
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