The Study
The association of muscle weakness with functional disability in older patients with Diabetes mellitus: Measured by three different grip strength thresholds
This study took a snapshot of older patients with diabetes and looked at their grip strength and daily functioning at one point in time. It can show that weaker grip is linked to more difficulty with daily tasks, but it can't tell us if weak grip caused the problems or if both were caused by something else.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Doctors wanted to know which way of measuring weak hand grip best shows if older people with diabetes will have trouble doing everyday things like dressing or cooking.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 534 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, because catching people at risk early can help prevent falls and loss of independence, especially in older adults with diabetes who are already more vulnerable.
- 274% of older adults with diabetes had low grip strength using the regional norm.
- 3The cutoff of <35 kg for men and <20 kg for women found 98% of people without ADL disability (very few false negatives).
- 4All grip strength definitions linked to higher disability risk, but none were highly accurate at telling who had disability.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
PLOS ONE
Year
2025
Authors
S. Çavdar, F. Koçak, Sumru Savas
Related Content
Claims (5)
Older adults with diabetes who have weak hand grip are much more likely to struggle with everyday tasks like dressing or cooking, no matter which standard doctors use to define 'weak grip.'
Older Turkish adults with diabetes show very different rates of weak grip strength depending on which medical guidelines doctors use — some methods say nearly 3 out of 4 have weakness, while another says less than half. This means the rules used can change who gets diagnosed with muscle weakness.
For older Turkish adults with diabetes, a grip strength test using local average strength levels might be the best way to spot early signs of physical disability—better than other common cutoffs.
Grip strength can give a rough idea of whether older adults with diabetes might have trouble with daily activities, but it's not a super accurate test — all the different grip strength cutoffs work about the same, and none stand out as really strong predictors.
For older adults with diabetes, having weak hand grip—less than 35 kg for men or 20 kg for women—might be a strong sign they’re struggling with everyday tasks like dressing or cooking, and this simple test could be better than other methods at spotting who’s at risk of losing independence.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.