A firm handshake could be a sign of a longer life expectancy¹, 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 capability² like shaking hands, walking, getting up from a chair and balancing on one leg were related to life span, even after accounting³ 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 indicators⁴ 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 aged⁵ over 60 but living in the community rather than in hospital or care homes。

Of 14 studies dealing⁶ 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。

英国研究人员称，握手有力可能意味着更长的寿命。

英国医学研究委员会的科学家发现，能够和人有力地握手并能轻快地走路的老人会比走路慢的同辈活得更长。

他们发现，即使把年龄、性别和体型这些因素都考虑在内，一些衡量体力的简单指标，例如握手、走路、从椅子上站起来，以及单腿平衡，这些行动能力也都与寿命相关。这一研究从33个研究中收集了资料，首次对现有研究进行了综述。

医学研究委员会终生健康和老龄化部门的瑞秋?库柏说：“这些指标早就运用于以人口为基础的研究。它们可能对未来的健康状况具有实用的指示功能。”

库柏说还需进行更多的研究才能弄清这些指标能否为医生提供帮助，成为有效的筛查手段。她的研究发表在《英国医学杂志》上。她告诉路透社健康专栏说：“我不建议我们明天就将它们用于临床实践，但它们有可能在未来会得到运用。”

研究人员考察了33项研究，这些研究涵盖了数以万计的人，他们当中的大多数都年逾六十，住在社区里而非住在医院或养老院。

其中有14项研究考察的是握力，研究人员发现那些握力最强的人通常比握力弱的人活得更长。

在研究进行期间，握手软弱无力的人比握手有力的人的死亡率要高出67%。

研究过程中，走路最慢的人死亡的可能性比走路快的人高出近三倍。

那些从椅子上站起来耗时最长的人和很快就能从椅子上站起来的人相比，死亡率几乎翻了一倍。

库柏说：“从总体人口来看，体能更强的人长寿的可能性更大。”