Weak grip is a marker of risk. That training your grip adds years isn’t shown.
The claim
Weak grip predicts a shorter life, so training your grip will help you live longer.
What the evidence says
In the PURE study (139,691 adults aged 35–70, 17 countries, median follow-up 4 years), every 5 kg lower grip strength went with a 16% higher risk of dying during follow-up (HR 1.16, 95% CI 1.13–1.20). A meta-analysis of 38 studies of muscle strength (1.9 million apparently healthy people) found HR 0.69 (0.64–0.74) for higher vs lower handgrip strength. British norms from 12 studies (hand dynamometers): peak median 51 kg for men aged 29–39 and 31 kg for women aged 26–42.
The numbers
- Leong 2015 (PURE): 139,691 adults aged 35–70, 17 countries, Jamar dynamometer, median follow-up 4.0 years, 3,379 deaths (2%); per 5 kg lower grip: all-cause HR 1.16 (1.13–1.20), cardiovascular HR 1.17 (1.11–1.24); stronger predictor than systolic blood pressure.
- García-Hermoso 2018: 38 studies of muscle strength, 1,907,580 apparently healthy participants, 63,087 deaths; higher vs lower handgrip HR 0.69 (0.64–0.74).
- Dodds 2014: 12 British studies, 49,964 participants; peak median grip 51 kg (men 29–39) and 31 kg (women 26–42); weak grip 23% of men and 27% of women by age 80.
- Observational; the PURE authors call for research on whether improving strength reduces mortality.
Verdict: Partly proven
Weak grip is a marker of risk. That training your grip adds years isn’t shown.
Why only this far: Strong association, but no trial that training grip strength lowers mortality.
Evidence level B: Large cohort studies. How verdicts work.
What we don’t know
Observational data can’t fully separate a weak grip from the age, illness or body size that go with it.
Sources
Checked 15 Oct 2026. Every link opens the original paper or its PubMed record.
- Leong et al., Lancet 2015 (PURE)Prospective cohort (n = 139,691, 17 countries)DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62000-6 · PubMed 25982160
- García-Hermoso et al., Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2018Meta-analysis (38 cohort studies, 1,907,580 people)DOI 10.1016/j.apmr.2018.01.008 · PubMed 29425700
- Dodds et al., PLoS ONE 2014Reference values from 12 British studies (n = 49,964)DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0113637 · PubMed 25474696
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