Handgrip strength may help lower mortality risk in older adults with severe obesity

Handgrip strength is predictive of all-cause mortality risk in older adults with severe obesity, and this association points to some useful thresholds for reducing the risk of death, suggest the results of a multi-country cohort study.

Moreover, handgrip strength below the median level correlated with a gradual risk in mortality risk in both men and women, highlighting the importance of maintaining adequate muscle strength to improve health outcomes, according to the investigators.

A total of 2,229 adults (67.9 percent women, BMI 43.8 kg/m²) were included in the analysis. Results showed a significant association between handgrip strength and mortality, indicating a minimal and optimal dose for a reduced risk with 31 kg (hazard ratio [HR], 0.97, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.96‒0.99) and 36 kg (HR, 0.90, 95 percent CI, 0.81‒0.99), respectively.

In sex-stratified analysis, handgrip strength below the median levels showed a gradual association with an elevated risk in both men and women.

“The association between handgrip strength and all-cause mortality in European adults with severe obesity highlights practical thresholds for risk reduction, with 31 kg as the minimum and 36 kg as the optimal strength level,” the investigators said.

This study obtained data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe database. The investigators measured handgrip strength in participants with a BMI >40 kg/m². They then explored the relationship between handgrip strength and all-cause mortality risk using time-varying Cox proportional hazards regression. Finally, restricted cubic splines were used to account for potential nonlinearity.

“Since muscle strength is modifiable and handgrip strength is a reliable biomarker for strength and mortality, exploring its association with mortality in individuals with severe obesity could help identify protective thresholds,” the investigators said.