ArticlePloS one2016
Grip Strength Decline and Its Determinants in the Very Old: Longitudinal Findings from the Newcastle 85+ Study.
Article in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors associated with handgrip strength across the life course: A systematic review.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2024Pooled it
- Can cognitive-motor training improve physical functioning and psychosocial wellbeing in nursing home residents? A randomized controlled feasibility study as part of the PROCARE project.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2021Trial
- Association of multimorbidity and its patterns with incident possible sarcopenia among middle-aged and older adults: findings from a national prospective cohort study in China.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- Reference values for gait speed, five-times-sit-to-stand test, balance, and handgrip strength: analysis of data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.GeroScience · 2026Article
- CD21Frontiers in aging · 2026Article
- Article
- The relationship between age related changes in strength and fitness with body size, shape and composition.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- A Reciprocal Relationship between Formal and Informal Social Engagement and Handgrip Strength of Older Adults in South Korea.Gerontology · 2024Article
- Cognitive, physical and emotional determinants of activities of daily living in nursing home residents-a cross-sectional study within the PROCARE-project.European review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity · 2023Article
- Longitudinal association of built environment pattern with DXA-derived body fat in elderly Hong Kong Chinese: a latent profile analysis.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2021Article
- Long-term conditions, multimorbidity, lifestyle factors and change in grip strength over 9 years of follow-up: Findings from 44,315 UK biobank participants.Age and ageing · 2021Article
- The Relationship between Health Perception and Health Predictors among the Elderly across European Countries.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Associations of poor oral health with frailty and physical functioning in the oldest old: results from two studies in England and Japan.BMC geriatrics · 2021Article
- Neighborhood environment and muscle mass and function among rural older adults: a 3-year longitudinal study.International journal of health geographics · 2020Article
- The Association between 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentration and Disability Trajectories in Very Old Adults: The Newcastle 85+ Study.Nutrients · 2020Article
- Long-term rates of change in musculoskeletal aging and body composition: findings from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study.Calcified tissue international · 2020Article
- Self-rated eyesight and handgrip strength in older adults.Wiener klinische Wochenschrift · 2020Article
- Low Protein Intake Irrespective of Source is Associated with Higher Mortality Among Older Community-dwelling Men.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2020Article
- Higher albumin:creatinine ratio and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate are potential risk factors for decline of physical performance in the elderly: the Cardiovascular Health Study.Clinical kidney journal · 2019Article
- Assessment of hand-grip and key-pinch strength at three arm positions among healthy college students: Dominant versus non-dominant hand.Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundWeak grip strength (GS) is a key component of sarcopenia and frailty and a powerful predictor of mortality, morbidity and disability. Despite increasing interest in understanding GS across the lifespan, little is known about GS decline in the very old (aged ≥85). We examined trajectories of GS in very old adults and identified the determinants.
methodsGS (kg) was measured four times over 5 years in 319 men and 526 women participating in the Newcastle 85+ Study. A weak GS sub-cohort was identified as having strength of ≤27 kg (men), and ≤16 kg (women) at baseline and follow-up. Mixed models were used to establish trajectories of GS and associated factors in all participants, men and women, and in those with weak GS.
resultsMen's mean grip strength was 24.42 (SD = 6.77) kg, and women's 13.23 (4.42) kg (p<0.001) at baseline, with mean absolute change of -5.27 (4.90) kg and -3.14 (3.41), respectively (p<0.001) by 5-year follow-up. In the time-only mixed model, men experienced linear annual decline in GS of -1.13 (0.8) kg (β (SE), p<0.001), whilst women's decline although slower, accelerated by -0.06 (0.02) kg (p = 0.01) over time. In the saturated model, higher baseline physical activity, height, fat-free mass, better self-rated health, and not having arthritis in hand(s) were associated with stronger GS initially in both sexes. Annual GS decline in men and participants with weak GS who were highly physically active was slower by 0.95 and 0.52 kg, respectively compared with inactive counterparts.
conclusionGrip strength decline in the very old followed linear (men) and curvilinear (women) trends. High levels of physical activity were protective of GS loss in men (but not in women) and in those with weak GS. Thus maintaining muscle strength in later life is important to reduce the morbidity and mortality in the very old.
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