Even when you remove people who already had heart disease or cancer, weak grip still predicts higher risk of dying or having heart problems — so it’s not just because they’re already sick.

Pro

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Community contributions welcome

Association of Grip Strength With Risk of All-Cause Mortality, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Cancer in Community-Dwelling Populations: A Meta-analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies.

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Human

2017 Jun 1

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Association of Grip Strength With Risk of All-Cause Mortality, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Cancer in Community-Dwelling Populations: A Meta-analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies.

Score: 47

DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2017.03.011

Similar Assertions

People who can't squeeze as hard with their hands are more likely to die sooner or have heart problems, even if they don't have heart disease or cancer yet.

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As your hand grip gets weaker — up to about 56 kg — your risk of dying or having heart problems goes up in a straight line, with no sudden jumps or plateaus.

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Low grip strength is strongly correlated with increased risk of premature mortality.

86%

Even when doctors account for age, weight, and other illnesses, weak hand grip still predicts who is more likely to die — it adds unique information about health risk.

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People with weak hands and weak bones are much more likely to also have heart disease, stroke, or other serious illnesses — their grip strength seems to be a sign of overall poor health.

85%