Absolute Handgrip Strength: study finds a link with increased cancer risk

Grip strength is a common indicator of muscle strength, and it is also known to be a reliable prognosticator of likely disabilities and disorders. Absolute Hand Grip Strength (HGS) has two facets to it: in the sitting position, it represents the strength of the muscle group in the upper body; in the standing position, it represents the strength of the lower arm, leg, and core muscles.?

In the past, HGS has been linked with a host of chronic diseases and all-cause mortality across different age groups. Now, a prospective cohort study of as many as 445,552 participants between 37 and 73 years of age has evaluated HGS associations with 15 cancer sites and all-cause cancer both in absolute terms (kg) and relative terms (in the context of anthropometric variables). It found that Absolute HGS is associated with an increased risk of several cancer sites and all-cause cancer, while Relative HGS modestly improved the prediction of head, neck, and breast cancers.?

This landmark study has concluded that endometrial, liver, gallbladder, kidney, oesophagus, pancreas, colorectal, breast, and all-cause cancers were inversely associated with HGS relative to weight and body mass index. Also, grip strength relative to body fat mass was found modestly better than absolute HGS in predicting head, neck, and breast cancers.

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