Handshakes and Health

A new study in the British Medical journal Lancet suggests the strength of a person's hand-grip could predict the risk of heart attacks and strokes and is a stronger predictor of death than blood pressure checks. The international study, involving almost 140,000 adults in 17 countries during four years found weak grip strength is linked with shorter survival and a greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke. It also found that grip strength is a stronger predictor of death than systolic blood pressure. Grip strength was assessed using a handgrip dynamometer. Reduced muscular strength, which can be measured by grip strength, has been consistently linked with early death, disability, and illness.