Grip Weakness Associated With Early Death

Grip Weakness Associated With Early Death-Studies Show Grip Strength Tied to Accelerated Biological Age

Laurence Tabanao Gayao MD

As senior citizens many of us notice that there are a lot of kind and concerned friends, family and even strangers  around us ready to volunteer to assist us with luggage or help us get in and out of places. I appreciate these gestures of willingness of help us members older generation. The general perception is elderly people are frail.

In my line of work as a physician, my personal observation reinforces the fact that everyone ages at a different pace. That’s why two 50-year-olds, despite living the same number of years, may have different biological ages—meaning that a host of inherited and lifestyle factors have caused them to age at varying paces resulting in  different levels of risk for disease and early death. I have had patients about ten years younger than me say, “Doc, when you get my age you’ll know how miserable it is.”

Lifestyle choices, such as diet, substance abuse, smoking, and illnesses all contribute to accelerating biological age beyond one’s chronological age. In other words, your body is aging faster than expected. And for the first time, researchers have found that muscle weakness marked by grip strength, is a good gauge for overall strength capacity, is associated with accelerated biological age. Specifically, the weaker your grip strength, the older your biological age, according to results published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.

Researchers at University of Michigan Medical School modeled the relationship between biological age and grip strength of 1,274 middle aged and older adults using three “age acceleration clocks” based on changes in the DNA looking at marker and estimator of the pace of aging.

Results reveal that both older men and women showed an association between lower grip strength and biological age acceleration across their DNA aging clocks.

“We’ve known that muscular strength is a predictor of longevity, and that weakness is a powerful indicator of disease and mortality, but for the first time, we have found strong evidence of a biological link between muscle weakness and actual acceleration in biological age,” said Mark Peterson, Ph.D., M.S., lead author of the study and associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at University of Michigan.

“This suggests that if you maintain your muscle strength across the lifespan, you may be able to protect against many common age-related diseases. We know that smoking, for example, can be a powerful predictor of disease and mortality, but now we know that muscle weakness could be the new smoking.”

The real strength of this study was in the 8 to 10 years of observation, in which lower grip strength predicted faster biological aging measured up to a decade later, said Jessica Faul, Ph.D., M.P.H., a co-author of the study and research associate professor at the U-M Institute for Social Research.

These studies shows potential for healthcare providers to adopt the use of grip strength as a way to screen individuals for future risk of functional decline, chronic disease and even early death.

What I am doing for myself as a soon to be a 77 year old fellow and a member of the geriatric population to prevent muscle deterioration and weakness? Ever since I have given up full time employment I have intentionally devoted to living a healthy life style as best I can. Even if I have been diagnosed and treated for stage 4 thyroid cancer for the last 17 years, I am still doing relatively well for a person my age. So what have I been doing to maintain my muscles and overall health?

My personal program:

1. Nutrition: Healthy dietary habits are very important. I have gone in to plant base diet and minimize processed food. I lot of raw vegetables, fruits and nuts. Yes, I do take B12, C, and D3 vitamin supplements. I do intermittent fasting I don’t eat breakfast, a good lunch and light early supper. Fasting gives time for the digestive system to rest. I had noted that I no longer have indigestion problems. Ninety percent of digestive problems are due overeating and eating the wrong kind of food. But one when goes to physician with a digestive complain you are given a pill instead of correcting the problem that cause it. Look at advertisements they suggest a medication for every digestive problem. I also try to drink 6-8 glasses a day. When I feel hungry when it is not time to eat, I drink a glass of water and that stops the craving.
2. Regular and systematic physical exercise is the most critical thing that one can do to preserve health. Walking 30 minutes 3-4 times a week. I try walk briskly and taking big steps to challenge the leg muscles and keep my heart rate up. Since I have gotten an apple watch I have been able to monitor my heart rate at rest and during exercise. I also work out using weights also 3-4 times a week. I try to target different muscle groups on alternate days. I started with light weights that I am able do 4 sets, 20 reps and for last few years I finally settled using 25 pounds dumbbells. I have given up going to the gym and this has saved me time and money. If you have underlying medical problems consult your doctor for the appropriate exercise for you.
3. Avoid stress. Tips to Avoid Stress
   1. Take care of yourself. Avoid drugs and alcohol as they can add to stress.
   2. Engage in self-relaxation.
   3. Take breaks when needed.
   4. Seek out social support.
   5. Connect with others socially. …
   6. Maintain a normal routine.
   7. You don’t have to be perfect, just do your best
   8. Focus on your blessings
   9. Always keep in mind there is divine being who cares for you
   10. Give back to others.
4. Regular and adequate sleeping hours.
   1. Be consistent. …
   2. Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature.
   3. Remove electronic devices, such as TVs, computers, and smart phones, from the bedroom.
   4. Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime.
   5. Get some exercise
   6. I do take melatonin at times as a sleep aid
   7. Some of you may have an apple watch which could monitor your sleep.. As of this writing I scored 60 out of 100 for may sleep last night which is considered moderate sleep.

Stress and perspective

As I got older many of the things that use to bother me no longer gets my attention. I used to be hanged up on political and religious controversies with others. Through the years I realized that you could not help or control what other people, think especially extremists. So why bother to let them control you emotions, wast your time and effort by having a discourse with them. In the scheme of things your debates don’t reach the the decision makers that who are in power. Now, I just stick with what the scriptures advise: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 NEV. It is a simple rule, but it has worked for me through years. Just try to do my best and don’t worry of what people think about you and your performance.

Grip strength as medical screening tool

“Screening for grip strength would allow for the opportunity to design interventions to delay or prevent the onset or progression of these adverse ‘age-related’ health events,” Dr. Mark Peterson said. “We have been pushing for clinicians to start using grip strength in their clinics and only in geriatrics has this sort of been incorporated. However, not many people are using this, even though we’ve seen hundreds of publications showing that grip strength is a really good measure of health.”

Why do I work hard to stay healthy? I love life, a gift from God, and I also enjoy the opportunity to help others. In this regard I could honestly tell you follow not just what I say but also what I do.

 

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