Low Muscle Strength May Up Mortality Risk in Young Adults

Another reason to train - only the fit survive.

It is well known that hypertension and high body mass index during adolescence are associated with premature mortality. Now, a long-term prospective study of more than a million Swedish adolescents has turned up yet another risk factor: low levels of muscular strength.

The study was published online November 20 in the British Medical Journal.

The authors of the study, led by Francisco Ortega, a research associate in the Department of Physical Education and Sport, School of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Spain, point out that muscle strength in adulthood has been linked to all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in adults. Until now, however, similar data have been lacking in adolescents.

Similarly, they say, better cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with better mental health in adults, but there has been scant evidence whether muscle strength at any age is associated with future mental health and suicide mortality.

"This study provides strong evidence that a low level of muscular strength in late adolescence, as measured by knee extension and handgrip strength tests, is associated with all cause premature mortality to a similar extent as classic risk factors such as body mass index or blood pressure," the researchers write.

As it should be.