Study: Firm handshake may be indication of long life

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 in the Britain dedicated to improving human health.

Scientists at the MRC Unit for Lifelong Heath and Ageing analyzed findings from 33 studies worldwide, including more than 50,000 people followed for up to 43 years. The results were published in the British Medical Journal. Volunteers with a firmer grip 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 assessments and guide health care decisions, researchers 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," Cooper said in a statement.

The strength of a handshake was measured in men and women age 18 and older, according to the statement. The link between grip strength and survival was visible in younger as well as in older adults, the statement said.

Other tests of physical ability, including walking speed, chair-rising and standing balance, were conducted on people 60 or older, it said.

More research is needed to determine whether these are able to predict long-term survival in younger people in the same way as handshake strength does, the statement said.