A Long Life? Get grip!

Having a firm handshake may do more than seal business deals, according to a study that shows people with greater grip strength live longer.
Grip strength, the speed at which we walk or rise from a chair and our ability to balance all may be indicators of how long we might live, according to a study by scientists at the Medical Research Council, a publicly funded organization dedicated to improving human health.
Scientists at the MRC unit for lifelong health and ageing analyzed findings from 33 studies worldwide, including more than 50,000 people  followed for up to 43 years. The results were published yesterday in the Medical Journal.
Volunteers with a firmer handgrip and better performance on other tests lived longer than weaker people, according to Rachel Cooper, who led the analysis.
Evaluating the strength of a handshake or a person's walking speed may aid health assessment and guide healthcare decisions, researchers said.
Dr Cooper said: "Simple non-invasive assessment measures like these, that are linked to current and future health, could help doctors identify those most vulnerable to poor health in later life and who may benefit from early intervention to keep them active for longer."
The link between handgrip strength and survival was visible in younger as well as in older adults.