How Your Grip Strength Changes With Age

If you're in your 30s, then a simple grip strength test could help identify whether you'll face problems like loss of muscle independence, sarcopenia or even a shorter life-span. A study that appeared in the journal Public Library of Science ONE (PLOS ONE) sheds light on how an individual's grip strength changes with age. Grip strength is a crucial indicator of overall muscle strength and is often considered to be a marker of physical functioning and vitality. According to Richard Dodds from University of Southampton,"We found that men were typically stronger than women from adolescence onwards but both men and women reached a peak level of strength during their 30s before becoming weaker with age."The latest research combined data from 12 British studies and included grip strength readings from 49,964 participants, aged between 4 to 90 years and above. Researchers used this data to produce reference charts. Dodds pointed out, "We are now clear about the range of normal strength in young adults and have used this information to propose levels below which an older person would be considered to have weak grip strength."Hospital doctors could use the information to help interpret measurements of grip strength.Avan Aihie Sayer, Professor of Geriatric Medicine at University of Southampton concluded by saying, "Grip strength has been recommended for the assessment of muscle strength in the clinical setting and this study will aid the recognition of important conditions such as sarcopenia and frailty." With inputs from IANS