Is the association between handgrip strength and all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality dose-dependent?
Grip-Strength Dynamometer, a systematic review and meta-analysis (Ageing Res Rev 2022, PMID 36332759) — dose-response meta-analyses showed that higher handgrip strength significantly reduced all-cause mortality risk within 26-50 kg in a close-to-linear inverse fashion. The abstract for Grip-Strength Dynamometer states no limitations.
Source: Ageing Res Rev 2022, PMID 36332759 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: medium
Ageing Res Rev · 2022 · PMID 36332759 · DOI 10.1016/j.arr.2022.101778
Lower handgrip strength is linked to increased mortality risk, with the specific dose-response varying by cause of death.
The question
Is the association between handgrip strength and all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality dose-dependent?
What they tested
The study aimed to investigate the dose-response relationship of handgrip strength with all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality.
How they did it
A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using data from PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus up to February 8, 2022. Prospective cohort studies of healthy adults with objective handgrip strength measures were included. A random forest model and a two-stage random-effects hierarchical meta-regression model were used to analyze the dose-response relationship for all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality.
What they found
Forty-eight studies with 3,135,473 participants (49.6% women, aged 35-85 years) were included. Random forest models indicated a significant inverse association between handgrip strength and all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Dose-response meta-analyses showed that higher handgrip strength significantly reduced all-cause mortality risk within 26-50 kg in a close-to-linear inverse fashion. Cancer mortality showed a U-shaped association with significant risk reduction between 16 and 33 kg, while cardiovascular mortality displayed a close-to-linear inverse shape with significant risk reduction ranging from 24 to 40 kg.
| All-cause mortality | 38 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cancer mortality | 24.5 | |
| Cardiovascular mortality | 32 |
The midpoint of the handgrip strength range associated with significant risk reduction for different mortality causes.
What it means
There is strong evidence that lower handgrip strength is associated with higher all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality risk. The dose-response relationship of handgrip strength varies substantially depending on the cause of mortality.
Limitations
The abstract does not explicitly state limitations of the study.
Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.
The paper at a glance
| Title | Thresholds of handgrip strength for all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality: a meta-analysis |
|---|---|
| Journal | Ageing Res Rev |
| Year | 2022 |
| PMID | 36332759 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.arr.2022.101778 ↗ |
| Topic | Cardiovascular & vascular aging |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
Where Magellan uses this paper
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Grip-Strength Dynamometer
Across large prospective cohorts and meta-analyses, lower grip strength is consistently associated with higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, incident cardiovascular disease, disability, and, in some studies, cognitive decline and depression, often predicting outcomes as well as or better than systolic blood…
Hand Grip Dynamometer Pro
Across large prospective cohorts (notably the 17-country PURE study and UK Biobank) and multiple meta-analyses pooling millions of participants, lower grip strength is consistently and independently associated with higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, and with cognitive decline, disability, sarcopenia and…
A hand-grip (handgrip) dynamometer is a simple handheld device that measures the maximal isometric…
A hand-grip dynamometer measures the maximal isometric force generated by the muscles of the hand and…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Is the association between handgrip strength and all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality dose-dependent? [Plain-English summary of Ageing Res Rev 2022, PMID 36332759, DOI 10.1016/j.arr.2022.101778]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d36332759.html@misc{magellan_d36332759,
title = {Is the association between handgrip strength and all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality dose-dependent?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d36332759.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 36332759; DOI 10.1016/j.arr.2022.101778; Ageing Res Rev 2022. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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