live long and prosper

[samurai69]

well not exactly, but grip trainiung plays a part in longevity

http://www.healthytheory.com/getting-a- ... -longevity

[samurai69]

Upon meeting someone new, a firm handshake may indicate a number of qualities in terms of a person's strength and personality, but now it seems that it may also give some insight into a person's longevity.

A new article published in the British Medical Journal suggests that a handshake or other simple physical acts can represent an older person's vitality and as a consequence, may give some insight into how long they may live. The acts in question include grip strength, walking speed, time to rise out of a chair, and balance.

The current conclusions are the result of a recent review examining over 50 studies that sought to better understand the relationship between a person's physical abilities and their mortality.

These simple tasks are in fact considered good indicators of a how well a person functions in their daily life, and the field of medicine is turning to them as a way to determine if a person might be a good candidate for strength training intervention.

In the study in question, researchers found that there was a consistent pattern suggesting that four types of physical capabilities were associated with longevity. People who did not perform well at these tasks had a subsequent higher risk of death.

In terms of grip strength, the data revealed that people (53, 476 subjects) who were the weakest in this category had a 1.67 times higher rate of death than the strongest individuals, even after factoring in age, sex, and body size. Walking speed (14,692 subjects) also related to mortality, with the slowest walkers having an almost three times higher death rate than the fastest walkers.

While most of the data was obtained by studying older people, the association grip strength and longevity was also observed in younger test groups. The authors went on to say that it may in fact be changes in a person's physical ability over time (in this case, a steep decline) that may be a better predictor of a person's longevity, as opposed to their physical ability at a single point in time.

A person's strength, after all, is tied to the overall state of their health, and physical fitness in conjunction with a wholesome diet has numerous positive benefits, especially as we get older. These benefits include increased strength in muscles and bones, better stamina, higher energy levels, a stronger immune system, and a lower risk for injury.

Exercise also clears the mind and can uplift your mood, not to mention enhance your self esteem and potentially create a social atmosphere that can be fun and rewarding.

It is important to keep in mind that physical activity in and of itself can result in injuries, and for this reason, you should consult with your physician or an experienced trainer before embarking on a new physical regimen.

For more information about the benefits of strength and exercise, visit the website for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Measures of physical capability, such as grip strength, walking speed, chair rising time and standing balance ability, can predict mortality in older people living in the community, UK researchers found.

These measures are related to a person's ability to perform everyday tasks. There is growing interest in using such measures as simple screening tools to identify people who might benefit from targeted interventions such as strength training.

Researchers from the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing reviewed 57 studies and found 28 that looked at physical capabilities in people of any age and recorded subsequent mortality. They excluded studies of people in institutions such as hospitals and care homes.

Most of those study authors were contacted by the research team and asked to complete a standardised results table and ultimately, after also obtaining unpublished results from five other studies, 33 sets of results were collated and included in the review.

The team found that, although there was some variation between studies, there was consistent evidence of associations between all four measures of physical capability and mortality - people who performed less well in these tests had a consistently higher risk of death.

From 14 studies (including 53,476 participants) that dealt with grip strength, the death rate among the weakest people was 1.67 times greater than among the strongest people, after taking age, sex, and body size into account.

From five studies (including 14,692 participants) that dealt with walking speed, the death rate among people who were slowest was 2.87 times greater than among the people who were fastest, after similar adjustments.

Five studies (including 28,036 people) that dealt with chair rising showed that the death rate of people who were the slowest was almost twice the rate of people who were fastest at this physical task.

Most of the studies were carried out amongst older people, but the association of grip strength with mortality was also found in younger populations.

The authors say that this review has highlighted the paucity of studies in this field in younger populations, and they also call for more research to examine the associations between changes in capability with age and mortality, as a steep decline in physical capability may be a better predictor of mortality than is the absolute level at a single point in time.

They conclude: "Objective measures of physical capability are predictors of all cause mortality in older community dwelling populations. Such measures may therefore provide useful tools for identifying older people at higher risk of death."

Provided by British Medical Journal (news : web)

[samurai69]

In terms of grip strength, the data revealed that people (53, 476 subjects) who were the weakest in this category had a 1.67 times higher rate of death than the strongest individuals, even after factoring in age, sex, and body size. Walking speed (14,692 subjects) also related to mortality, with the slowest walkers having an almost three times higher death rate than the fastest walkers.

While most of the data was obtained by studying older people, the association grip strength and longevity was also observed in younger test groups. The authors went on to say that it may in fact be changes in a person's physical ability over time (in this case, a steep decline) that may be a better predictor of a person's longevity, as opposed to their physical ability at a single point in time.

A person's strength, after all, is tied to the overall state of their health, and physical fitness in conjunction with a wholesome diet has numerous positive benefits, especially as we get older. These benefits include increased strength in muscles and bones, better stamina, higher energy levels, a stronger immune system, and a lower risk for injury.