Take the one-minute test that reveals if you’re heading for an early death

THE future of your health could be at your fingertips, as a simple, one-minute test could predict your likelihood of an early death, an expert claims.

Known as the ‘grip test', it measures the force at which you can squeeze or hold an object.

Having a strong grasp isn't just important for handshakes or getting the lid off a jar.

Your grip is cheap and easy way to get lots of information about your physical health – from your overall strength and how mobile you are, to the health of your bones, heart and brain.

Strength in your hands and wrists naturally declines with age, but maintaining good grip has been linked to a lower risk of death.

Ed Jones, a US-based nutritionist based in the US, claimed that grip strength is a “marker for how everything else [in your body] will weaken”.

He told the Nutrition World podcast: “If you can't hold a dumbbell that's three quarters (3/4) of your weight for one minute, you will die earlier than you would if you were stronger.”

Grip strength can be a better predictor of longevity than other markers such as cholesterol levels, he claimed.

“If you can do this with the right weights, everything else is stronger,' he added

“The stronger and resilient body ages slower and has less disease.”

To take the test, Ed advised gripping a very heavy weight or object for one minute straight, such dumbbell, that is three-quarters of your own body weight.

According to the NHS, the average British man weighs about 85kg – meaning they'd have to grip a 64kg weight for a minute to measure their longevity.

As for women with an average weight of 72kg, they'd had to lug a 54kg dumbbell.

The nutritionist isn't the first person to suggest measuring longevity through grip strength, as the link between the two has been the subject of a number of studies.

Research published in April last year found that ‘weaker' people were more likely to die early from any cause.

Scientists measured the hand grip of 14,178 participants aged 50 or over in the United States.

Men were categorised as ‘weak' if their hand-grip strength was:

• Under 35.5 kg – they couldn't grip heavier than thisweight
• Under 0.45kg per kg ofbody weight– they couldn't grip heavier than this weight per kilo of body weight
• Under 1.05 kg per kg/m2 – they couldn't grip heavier than this weight per kilo for every BMI unit

Women were ‘weak' if their hand-grip strength was:

• Under 20kg – they couldn't grip heavier than thisweightin total
• Under 0.337kg per kg of body weight – they couldn't grip heavier than this weight per kilo of body weight
• Under 0.79 kg per kg/m2 – they couldn't grip heavier than this weight per kilo for every BMI unit

Participants were classified as weak if their strength was below all three cutoff points, and the weakest among them were twice as likely to die over the next 10 years.

Study authors said: ‘Weakness determined by [both] absolute and body-size-adjusted strength provides robust prediction of time [until death], thus [highlighting] the importance of muscle strength during ageing.”

Another piece of research – published in January this year – also found that “progressive loss of muscle strength, as assessed by hand grip strength, may result in a poorer health-related quality of life”.

Researchers asked 1,446 Polish people aged between 50 and 90 about their quality of life, while also assessing their grip strength.

“The results of our study show that the greater the hand grip strength, the higher the value of the overall quality of life and thus highlight the importance of skeletal muscle strength in older people. The strength of skeletal muscles not only affects family life, but also influences social relationships with non-kin, such as friends,” they wrote.

Jo Fidock, regional physiotherapy lead at Nuffield Health, previously told Sun Health: “Improving hand grip strength is beneficial for several reasons including better functional ability in daily tasks and improving sporting performance.”;

She said you can also test this by using a hand grip dynamometer and track it over time.

Jo said: “To ensure reliability of the test the user should be in the same position each time.

“Ideally standing upright with feet shoulder width apart and a straight arm hanging by their side.

“When ready, the user will squeeze the dynamometer as hard as they can for a few seconds and record the amount of force generated.

“The test is performed three times and the best attempt used.”;

Toimprove hand grip strength, she suggested:

• Hand squeezes using something like a stress ball. Holding and releasing for a few seconds
• Finger exercises using elastic bands or finger training tools
• Forearm exercises such as wrist curls using weights or TheraBand
• Farmers walks using heavy dumbbells or kettlebells

Test your longevity

There are other simple tests and exercises you can do at home to gauge how well you're ageing.

From the flamingo tests to squats and your walking speed, here are a few to give a go.

1. Flamingo test

No equipment is needed for this one – just one leg and a bit of balance.

To perform the test, stand on one leg flamingo-style and see if you can last 10 seconds without wobbling or falling.

Repeat on the other leg.

A 2024 study, carried out by theMayo Clinic, found the amount of time you're able to balance on one foot can indicate how strong your bones, muscles and nerves are – all of which are markers offrailty.

The average 50-year-old was able to balance for roughly nine seconds, while an 80-year-old was only able to manage around three seconds.

Standing on one leg requires good balance, which is linked to good brain function, muscle strength, and blood flow.

It also needs good coordination, as the brain integrates signals from the inner ears, eyes, joints, and muscles to maintain balance.

The longer you can do it for, the better your health outcomes as you age.

Previous research, published in the British Journal of Medicine, showed you may be at a muchhigher risk of death if you can’t stand 10 seconds on a single limb.

2. Sit and rise

Can you get up from the floor without pushing yourself off or pulling on something?

This is called the “site and rise”; movement and it's another way of assessing how well you're ageing.

Jamie Clark, senior physiologist atNuffield Health, previously toldSun Health: “Getting up off the floor under your own support is a good indication of strength, mobility, and stability and the sit to rise test is a good way to assess this.

“Scoring how many full, controlled repetitions you can do is a good way to monitor progress and might give indications of how well you are ageing.

“This function will decline with ageing but can be prevented through regular repetitions and building strength-based exercises, such as resistance training into your life.”;

You only need to complete the movement rising and sitting back down once.

If you’re not able to complete a rep, you can make it a bit easier by lowering a knee or using one hand on the floor or a chair for support, he said.

3. Squats

Squats are a go-to exercise at the gym but it can also “highlight areas in your lower body that are perhaps restricted or need addressing in terms of strength, mobility or stability”, Jo previously said.

Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and place your arms in front of you or on your hips.

Move into a squat position thinking about hinging your hips back as if you were sitting on to a chair and keeping your knees above your ankles.

Sit as low as possible without rounding the spine, making sure your knees don't collapse inwards.

You should be able to rise back up without assistance.

Do 12 to 15 reps.

Jo added: “If you find this challenging, start with a more shallow range of motion and gradually increase it.”;

4. Walking speed

Walking speed can be another useful marker of longevity, as our stride might slow to a shuffles as we age.

Research has shown thatspeedy walkers are more likely to live longer.

A study conducted in 2011 found that walking at a speed of less than 1.3 mph may indicate the risk of early death for older adults.

Healthy older adults walked about 1.8 mph, while but speeding up to 2.2 mph suggested a better-than-average life expectancy, researchers said.

Older adults with usual walking speeds greater than 2.7 mph may experience exceptional life expectancy, they added.

Trying using apps on your phone or other devices to measure your speed when out on a walk.

If you want to up the ante, try ‘rucking' – walking with a weight – to “challenge both the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems”, according to Jo.