Human study · Exercise · 3 Nov 2026
In 1,917 Mexican adults ages 50 and older, a weaker handgrip lined up with a higher chance of dying, and the link was stronger in men
Source: GeroScience
What the research found
A GeroScience paper dated 3 November 2026 used the Mexican Health and Aging Study. It followed 1,917 adults ages 50 and older who had handgrip strength measured at wave 3, through 2021. 371 people died. Grip was analyzed as kilograms and as kilograms adjusted for height, in sex-specific quarters and as a standard-score. Men in the lowest kilogram quarter had a higher hazard of death than men in the highest quarter (hazard ratio 5.56, 95 percent interval 2.70 to 11.44). Each one-standard-deviation higher grip in men lined up with a lower hazard (0.53, 0.44 to 0.65). Women in the lowest quarter also had a higher hazard (1.95, 1.07 to 3.55). The sex difference was clearer for the height-adjusted measure (interaction p = 0.011). This is an observational cohort. It does not show that raising grip strength lengthens life. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
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