Sudhakar Jha
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Written By: Sudhakar Jha | Updated : August 28, 2018 10:50 AM IST
Hitting the gym and building muscles have a lot of benefits, like good posture, decreased risk of injuries, stronger bones, ligaments and ease of movements. And these are just to name a few. And weaker muscles have their own set of side effects. And if a new research is to be believed, then your muscle strength may be an important predictor of your overall health and longevity.
More than the muscle mass you need strength in them, according to the scientists. Also, your hand grip strength specifically is inversely related to mobility limitations and disability. However, despite being a relatively simple and cost-effective test, grip strength measurement is not a part of most routine physical tests, said the researchers.
For the study, the team analysed data of 8,326 men and women, aged 65 and older. The team looked into the socio-demographic factors, chronic health conditions and history of smoking, and came to the conclusion that those who had muscle strength on the lower side were 50 per cent more likely to die earlier than those who had better hand grip.
Leader researcher, Kate Duchowny, post-doctoral student at the University of California-San Francisco said that maintaining stronger muscles throughout the life and especially in the later stages of life is very important for longevity and ageing independently.
The study, published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, highlighted that testing grip strength measurements on a routine basis is not just for older adults but even in midlife. Having hand grip strength be an integral part of routine care would allow for earlier interventions, which could lead to increased longevity and independence for individuals, added Dr. Kate.
There have been many studies done earlier which have also shown that high levels of muscular strength play an important role in protecting men against all causes of mortality.
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