A simple, one-minute test could tell you if you’re going to die earlier than your peers, a health expert has claimed.
The grip-test — which measures the force with which someone can squeeze an object — has long been considered a cheap and easy assessment of physical health.
Strong grip strength has been linked to a reduced risk of dying from a number of age-related diseases — from heart disease and type 2 diabetes to arthritis and certain cancers.
This is because the movement requires strength from multiple muscles and joints in the entire arm.
When grip strength becomes weak, it is a sign of a detrimental level of muscle loss that can increase the risk of losing mobility and, therefore, independence.
Now, Ed Jones, a nutritionist based in the US, has claimed that grip strength is a ‘marker for how everything else will weaken.
‘If you can’t hold a dumbbell that’s 3/4ths of your weight for one minute, you will die earlier than you would if you were stronger,’ he told the Nutrition World Podcast.
He added that it is a better predictor of longevity than other markers such as cholesterol levels.
Grip strength has long been used by doctors to identify patients at risk of developing various health problems early on
‘If you can do this with the right weights, everything else is stronger,’ he added
‘The stronger and resilient body ages slower and has less disease.’
To take the test, Mr Jones advises gripping a very heavy weight or object for one minute straight — for instance a dumbbell, that is three-quarters of your own body weight.
For the average British man, this means lifting 85kg, while for a woman it’s 54kg.
However, lifting something this heavy can cause back injuries.
The maximum safe weight a man should lift is 25kg, while women should be careful lifting any more than 15kg, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Hanging from a pull-up bar for as long as you can is another, less risky measure of grip strength.
For men, 60 seconds is a reasonable target; for women, 30 seconds.
Men who can hang for only 30 seconds, and women for only 15 seconds may have a raised risk of premature mortality, suggests research in the BMJ in 2018.
Grip strength has long been used by doctors to identify patients at risk of developing various health problems early on, including cardiovascular disease and even dementia.
In 2016, research involving nearly 7,000 people by University College London found that those who had weaker grip strength at the start of the 17-year study had a higher-than-average rate of premature death from all causes.
Balancing on one leg continuously for more than 40 seconds is a key sign of strength and mobility among 18 to 39-year-olds, the health service says
Another analysis of previous research, with nearly 140,000 people, found that weak grip strength is a more accurate predictor for early death than high blood pressure, reported The Lancet in 2015.
And according to one study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning last year, those with the least muscle strength were almost 150 per cent more likely to die early.
If you’re unable to grip the weight for a full minute, Mr Jones advised working on building up strength in your hands and arms.
There are a number of available gadgets that are designed to improve grip strength by strengthening the key muscles.
Experts advise using some for just a minute a day to achieve a benefit.
Another at home longevity exercise is the balance test.
Research suggests that those who can’t balance on one leg for more than 10 seconds could be at a vastly increased risk of dying within 10 years.
And more recent studies claim that the length of balancing time should vary by age.
According to NHS scientists, balancing on one leg continuously for more than 40 seconds is a key sign of strength and mobility among 18 to 39-year-olds.
By contrast, those aged between 70 and 79 should manage 18 to 19 seconds.
The reason standing on one leg is such a marker of fitness is because it uses so many different parts of the brain and body at once.
It tests balance, and strength — and these two things are lost, the more frail a person comes, making them more prone to bone shattering falls.
According to the NHS test, those trying to test should aim to stand one one leg with their hands on their hips.
Keeping their eyes open, the timer starts as soon as the foot lifts off the ground.
It stops when the foot is either lowered or their hands are taken off their hips.
Those aged 18 to 39 should manage 43 seconds, the NHS says, and 40 seconds if you’re aged between 40 and 49.
For 50 to 59-year-olds, the figure stands at 37 seconds and 30 for 60 to 69-year-olds.
By 70 to 79, this drops to between 18 and 19 seconds and a little over five seconds if you’re over 80.
