Research concludes that the strength of manual tightening is related to various health conditions and acts as a marker for the longevity and incidence of some diseases.
In a world of high -tech longevity clinics and their increasingly sophisticated scan of images, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars, one of the best ways to evaluate our quality and resistance to the muscles is simply sitting on a chair, tightening a tennis ball in their hands.
This is the recommendation of the Joshua Davidson strength and conditioning researcher of the University of Derby in the United Kingdom. He studies the strength of the handshake, an increasingly recognized measure as one of the most reliable markers of human health.
To test the tightening force on clinical tests, scientists often use a manual dynamometer: a device that serves as much as possible to measure the force generated by the muscles of the hand and the forearm.
Several companies are now trying to bring the dynamometer of the clinic to houses, combining easy devices in -use and mobile app. They will allow anyone to follow their imprint over time.
But Davidson underlines that it is possible to have a reliable idea with a simple “tightening test” of a tennis or stress ball.
“All you need is any object that you can tighten and deform, without causing pain or discomfort,” he explains. “Just squeeze the object for as long as possible until you get tired.”
“Being able to maintain maximum compression on an object like a tennis ball for 15-30 seconds would be a good goal”, according to Davidson. And how long you can maintain the pressure can help trace your tightening force over time.
Of course, simply having little strength of strengthening in their hands will bring relatively few direct consequences for your daily life, according to the Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine Professor Mark Peterson of the University of Michigan, in the United States. At most, you will have a little more difficult to open vases or cans.
But researchers increasingly use manual tightening force as an indicator of the general musculoskeletal force of the body.
It can indicate whether a person is sufficiently active or very sedentary and demonstrates his risk of fragility – the condition of vulnerability deriving from the decline of his physiological health.
This possibility attracted the attention of scientists for the first time in A Particularly interesting studyinvolving 140,000 adults from low, medium and high income countries.
The researchers concluded that the tightening force provides for premature death compared to other more obvious indicators, such as blood pressure.
Other research have revealed that the manual tightening force of people may indicate its probability of living over 100 years.
In one of these studies, the volunteers had their imprint measured between 1965 and 1968, when they were 56 and 58 years old. His survival was accompanied for the next 44 years.
In the group made up of a third of the participants with the best strengthening strength of the middle -aged manual, there were 2.5 times more people who reached 100 years, compared to those who died before 79.
His greenhouse strength in his hands – and therefore his muscle strength in general – represents the sum of his nutrition, physical activity and any diseases, according to the medical professor Darryl Leong, McMaster University, Canada.
“For this reason, it is associated with so many health problems,” he explains.
A study with dynamometer tests concluded that squeezing forces of less than 25.5 kg and 18 kg for women indicate a greater risk of sarcopenia throughout the body – progressive loss of mass and muscle functionality, related to the reduced strength and mobility in advanced age – as well as a greater probability of falls and fractures.
Practicing the doctor and professor of Medicine Guillaume Paré, also at McMaster University, says that it is possible to draw many conclusions even with a simple handshake. The strength of the narrow acts as an indicator of the probability that a person would suffer the sarcopenia.
“The weaker hands, with the fingers who have difficulty closing completely around my hand, or muscles of the hands out, are signs of alert,” explains the teacher.
But the relationship between manual imprint and longevity goes well beyond physical abilities.
Studies have shown that muscles are fundamental for the metabolic system. They act as water basins, which can absorb excess blood sugar and help prevent insulin resistance.
For this reason, a smaller tightening force may indicate that a person is more prone to a series of problems related to metabolic disorders, which may vary from type 2 diabetes to low bone mineral density, malnutrition, cognitive difficulties and depression.
If you have a dynamometer at hand, you can use the table above to evaluate the tightening force in the hands.
The results were extracted from a study that determined the measurements of the average manual tightening force of healthy men and women in different age groups.
In 2022, Peterson led a study that evaluated the force of the provision of 1,275 men and women, comparing the results with an analysis of his DNA. The team concluded that people with less unexpected force in their hands showed signs of accelerated aging.
In particular, they presented differences in their DNA methylation models – signs associated with our DNA which can change their way of reading throughout their lives.
Methilation models often change in response to environmental factors or lifestyle, such as obesity, pollution or even social stress, among many other reasons.
Paré is not surprised. For him, the strength of manual tightening is a fundamental marker of resistance to diseases and the probability of chronic diseases.
Research with cancer patients, for example, show that people with a lower tightening force are more likely to suffer a sudden weight loss or cachexia, extreme loss of muscles or fats, even normally eating. Therefore, their prognosis and their possibility of survival are less favorable.
“This means that when we have some diseases, our ability to fight it is limited,” explains Peterson.
“The risk of dying of pneumonia, for example, is much higher among individuals with a less manual strengthening force, which makes sense, considering the importance of good muscle health to correctly remove the sputum [a saliva e o muco que saem do trato respiratório com a tosse, devido a infecções] of the airways. “
Hand’s tightening force is not something to consider only in old age. The researchers discovered that the medium -sized force of a population tends to correlate with the probability of a country that wins medals at the Olympic games.
At the same time, Paré says that teenagers and young adults with less manual strengthening force can have more likely to have less age health problems.
In Brazil, a study concluded that teenagers who spend more time in front of the screens, through cell phones or other devices, tend to have a less close force in their hands.
“There are data that support the association between low strength strength and low metabolic health, even in young adults”, according to Paré.
Turn the impulses: increase the manual pressure force
Start sitting with your arms in her womb. Then take a can with one hand, with the palm facing upwards.
Bring the can slowly upwards, towards the body without moving the arm. Keep it there for a second and lower it again with care.
With the practice, try to keep five sessions of 20 repetitions each.
Improve your indexes
So is it possible to increase the strength of our handshake in your hands?
Certainly yes, according to Joshua Davidson. And it is something that we can develop independently of age.
It suggests the simple use of the tennis ball test to progressively work on hands and forearms, contracted with maximum power as long as possible.
With the practice, it will be possible to observe continuous improvements over time, says Davidson.
It is not just about tightening. Darryl Leong recommends increasing physical activity in general and training the muscles from the bottom and upper body. With this, he says he will also increase his strength of manual tightening.
For adult elderly, Leong suggests trying to get up and out of time.
“Here, register individually with a timer the time spent to get up from a chair, walk for three meters, turn around and return to the sitting position,” explains Leong. “This is a test of strength and mobility of the lower limb, which will help to increase their total muscle strength”.
Davidson explains that general resistance exercises to increase muscle mass and maintain bone mineral density Increase in the imprint.
“We all have to do regularly physical activity as we age,” he says. “You can train at home with specialized equipment or simple objects you have available.”
“Two or three twisting sessions of each wrist, with 10-20 repetitions, form a good exercise to start. And if you have [um equipamento chamado] Kettlebell at home, Biceps Twist is also a good exercise, “concludes the researcher.
Read a Original version of this relationship (in English) on the site BBC innovation.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
