People whose parents lived to 90 or older don’t have stronger hand grips than their spouses in their 60s and 70s, even though they live longer — so strong hands aren’t the reason they live longer.

48

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

48

Community contributions welcome

48

Handgrip strength at midlife and familial longevity

Cohort Study

Human

2012 Oct

Scientists compared the hand strength of people whose parents lived to 90+ with their spouses, and found both groups had similar hand strength — meaning having long-lived parents doesn’t make you stronger in middle age.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

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

Handgrip strength at midlife and familial longevity

Score: 48

DOI: 10.1007/s11357-011-9295-4

Similar Assertions

Some people inherit strong hands from their parents, but it’s not consistent — and there’s no proof that the genes that help people live to 90 also make their hands stronger.

48

0

91%

Even though people with long-lived parents live longer, they don’t have stronger hands in middle age — so their longer life isn’t because they’re physically stronger earlier on.

48

0

87%

How strong your hands are in your 50s and 60s mostly depends on how old you are, whether you’re male or female, how much fat you carry, and how much muscle you have in your arms and legs — not whether your parents lived to 90.

48

0

84%

If you're an older adult, having weaker hand grip compared to your weight might be a little linked to a higher chance of dying from any cause, but it doesn't add much info beyond things like blood pressure or smoking.

52

0

71%