Handgrip strength predicts risk of death from all causes

In this study published in The American Journal of Medicine, 4912 people underwent were followed for over 27 years with a battery of physiological tests. The authors state: "Handgrip strength is a simple measurement used to estimate overall muscle strength but might also serve as a predictor of health-related prognosis," and then conclude, "Grip strength is an accurate and consistent predictor of all causes of mortality in middle-aged and elderly persons." The authors of an earlier paper in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society came to a similar conclusion: "...because muscle strength consistently predicts morbidity and mortality, it is suggested that this variable is used as a hard marker of malnutrition-related morbidity and mortality."