Does muscle strength associate with all-cause mortality risk in the oldest old in a gradual or threshold-specific manner?
Grip-Strength Dynamometer, studied in 1890 adults (J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2024, PMID 39439054) — sex-stratified results showed similar trends, with the 10th percentile for men (15 kg) having an HR of 1.33 and for women (10 kg) an HR of 1.19. Scope: 1890 adults, and the abstract states no limitations.
Source: J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2024, PMID 39439054 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: medium
J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle · 2024 · PMID 39439054 · DOI 10.1002/jcsm.13619
Higher muscle strength is gradually associated with a lower risk of death in people aged 90 and older.
The question
Does muscle strength associate with all-cause mortality risk in the oldest old in a gradual or threshold-specific manner?
What they tested
The study investigates the prospective association of muscle strength with all-cause mortality in the oldest old.
How they did it
This study included 1890 adults aged 90 years or older from 27 European countries and Israel. Muscle strength was measured using handgrip dynamometry. Time-varying Cox regression with restricted cubic splines was used to determine the association of muscle strength with mortality, adjusting for several confounding factors.
What they found
Over a mean follow-up of 4.2 years, 51.4% of participants died. Mean handgrip strength was 20.4 kg overall, with men having 26.7 kg and women 16.4 kg. Lower and higher levels of muscle strength were associated in a gradual and curvilinear fashion with higher and lower mortality risk, respectively, using the median strength (18 kg) as reference. The 10th percentile of muscle strength (10 kg) had a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.27, while the 90th percentile (31 kg) had an HR of 0.69. Sex-stratified results showed similar trends, with the 10th percentile for men (15 kg) having an HR of 1.33 and for women (10 kg) an HR of 1.19. The 90th percentile for men (35 kg) had an HR of 0.75 and for women (23 kg) an HR of 0.75.
| 10th Percentile (10 kg) | 1.27 | |
|---|---|---|
| Median (18 kg) | 1 | |
| 90th Percentile (31 kg) | 0.69 |
Hazard ratios for all-cause mortality at different percentiles of muscle strength, relative to the median muscle strength (18 kg).
What it means
Muscle strength is gradually and inversely associated with mortality risk in the oldest old, rather than having a specific threshold.
Limitations
The abstract does not explicitly state limitations, but the findings were confirmed by sensitivity analyses.
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 | Association of Muscle Strength With All-Cause Mortality in the Oldest Old: a 28-country cohort |
|---|---|
| Journal | J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle |
| Year | 2024 |
| PMID | 39439054 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1002/jcsm.13619 ↗ |
| Topic | Muscle, strength & physical function |
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…
A hand-grip (handgrip) dynamometer is a simple handheld device that measures the maximal isometric…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
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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). Does muscle strength associate with all-cause mortality risk in the oldest old in a gradual or threshold-specific manner? [Plain-English summary of J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2024, PMID 39439054, DOI 10.1002/jcsm.13619]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d39439054.html@misc{magellan_d39439054,
title = {Does muscle strength associate with all-cause mortality risk in the oldest old in a gradual or threshold-specific manner?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d39439054.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 39439054; DOI 10.1002/jcsm.13619; J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2024. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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