Grip strength changes over 27yr in Japanese-American men

The aim of thisstudy was to describe changes in grip strength over a follow-up periodof ~27 yr and to study the associations of rate of strength declinewith weight change and chronic conditions. The data are from theHonolulu Heart Program, a prospective population-based studyestablished in 1965. Participants at exam1 were 8,006 men (ages 45-68 yr) who were ofJapanese ancestry and living in Hawaii. At follow-up, 3,741 men (agerange, 71-96 yr) participated. Those who died before the follow-upshowed significantly lower grip-strength values at baseline than didthe survivors. The average annualized strength change among thesurvivors was 1.0%. Steeper decline (>1.5%/yr) wasassociated with older age at baseline, greater weight decrease, andchronic conditions such as stroke, diabetes, arthritis, coronary heartdisease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The risk factorsfor having very low hand-grip strength at follow-up, here termedgrip-strength disability (21 kg, the lowest 10th percentile), werelargely same as those for steep strength decline. However, theage-adjusted correlation between baseline and follow-up strength wasstrong (r = 0.557, P < 0.001); i.e., those who showedgreater grip strength at baseline were also likely to do so 27 yrlater. Consequently, those in the lowest grip-strength tertile atbaseline had about eight times greater risk of grip-strength disabilitythan those in the highest tertile because of their lower reserve ofstrength. In old age, maintenance of optimal body mass may help preventsteep strength decrease and poor absolute strength.