A firm handshake could be a sign of a longer life expectancy, according to British researchers。
Scientists at the Medical Research Council found that elderly people who could still give a firm handshake and walk at a brisk pace were likely to outlive their slower peers。
They found simple measures of physical capability like shaking hands, walking, getting up from a chair and balancing on one leg were related to life span, even after accounting for age, sex and body size. The study is the first to provide a comprehensive view of the existing research by pooling data from 33 studies。
"These measures have been used in population-based research for quite a long time," said Rachel Cooper of the Medical Research Council's Unit for Lifelong Health and Aging. "They may be useful indicators for subsequent health."
Cooper, whose study appears in the British Medical Journal, said more studies are needed to clarify whether the measures would be helpful to doctors as a screening tool. "I wouldn't suggest that we roll them out into clinical practice tomorrow, but it is possible that they could be used in the future," she told Reuters Health。
The researchers examined 33 studies involving tens of thousands of people, most of whom were aged over 60 but living in the community rather than in hospital or care homes。
Of 14 studies dealing with grip strength, the researchers found that those with the strongest hand grasps tended to live longer than those with limp grips。
The death rate over the period of the studies for people with weak handshakes was 67 percent higher than for people with a firm grip。
The slowest walkers were nearly three times more likely to die during the study period than swifter walkers。
The people who were slowest to get up from a chair had about double the mortality rate compared to the quick risers。
"Those people in the general population who have higher physical capability levels are likely to live longer," Cooper said。
英國(guó)研究人員稱，握手有力可能意味著更長(zhǎng)的壽命。
英國(guó)醫(yī)學(xué)研究委員會(huì)的科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)，能夠和人有力地握手并能輕快地走路的老人會(huì)比走路慢的同輩活得更長(zhǎng)。
他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，即使把年齡、性別和體型這些因素都考慮在內(nèi)，一些衡量體力的簡(jiǎn)單指標(biāo)，例如握手、走路、從椅子上站起來(lái)，以及單腿平衡，這些行動(dòng)能力也都與壽命相關(guān)。這一研究從33個(gè)研究中收集了資料，首次對(duì)現(xiàn)有研究進(jìn)行了綜述。
醫(yī)學(xué)研究委員會(huì)終生健康和老齡化部門的瑞秋•庫(kù)柏說(shuō)：“這些指標(biāo)早就運(yùn)用于以人口為基礎(chǔ)的研究。它們可能對(duì)未來(lái)的健康狀況具有實(shí)用的指示功能。”
庫(kù)柏說(shuō)還需進(jìn)行更多的研究才能弄清這些指標(biāo)能否為醫(yī)生提供幫助，成為有效的篩查手段。她的研究發(fā)表在《英國(guó)醫(yī)學(xué)雜志》上。她告訴路透社健康專欄說(shuō)：“我不建議我們明天就將它們用于臨床實(shí)踐，但它們有可能在未來(lái)會(huì)得到運(yùn)用。”
研究人員考察了33項(xiàng)研究，這些研究涵蓋了數(shù)以萬(wàn)計(jì)的人，他們當(dāng)中的大多數(shù)都年逾六十，住在社區(qū)里而非住在醫(yī)院或養(yǎng)老院。
其中有14項(xiàng)研究考察的是握力，研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)那些握力最強(qiáng)的人通常比握力弱的人活得更長(zhǎng)。
在研究進(jìn)行期間，握手軟弱無(wú)力的人比握手有力的人的死亡率要高出67%。
研究過(guò)程中，走路最慢的人死亡的可能性比走路快的人高出近三倍。
那些從椅子上站起來(lái)耗時(shí)最長(zhǎng)的人和很快就能從椅子上站起來(lái)的人相比，死亡率幾乎翻了一倍。
庫(kù)柏說(shuō)：“從總體人口來(lái)看，體能更強(qiáng)的人長(zhǎng)壽的可能性更大。”
