Not Hair Loss News – Predicting Middle Age Mortality Risk

Snippet from the article:

Three measures of physical capability in middle age could predict subsequent mortality risk, and light activity reduces disability, according to 2 studies published online April 29 in the BMJ.

The first study, by Rachel Cooper, PhD, from the Medical Research Council Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at University College London, United Kingdom, and colleagues looked at 3 measures of physical capability (grip strength, chair rise time, and standing balance time) and their association with all-cause mortality from 1999 to 2012 in a prospective cohort study. The team also tested a composite measure of the 3 tasks for association with mortality.

The researchers used data from the Medical Research Council National Survey, the longest-running British birth cohort, which includes 1355 men and 1411 women. Physical capability had been assessed at age 53 years by a trained nurse during home visits. The researchers gathered mortality data from the National Health Service central register.

Read the rest at Medscape (free account may be required) — Simple Measures May Predict Mortality in Middle Age

“Our study shows robust associations of standing balance time, chair rise speed, and grip strength at age 53 with all-cause mortality rates over 13 years of follow-up,” the authors conclude.