Canada’s McMaster University (McMaster University), led by researchers to conduct a large-scale study, the results found that the grip strength is indeed a simple and convenient, but very reliable method of health testing. The study covered nearly 140,000 patients between the ages of 35 and 70 in 17 countries, with a follow-up period of four years. The study found that for every 5-kilogram decrease in grip strength over the four-year period, there was a 16 percent increase in the risk of death from any cause, as well as a 7 percent increase in the risk of heart attack and a 9 percent increase in the risk of stroke. According to the study, testing grip strength was a better predictor of early death risk than measuring systolic blood pressure. The results remained the same when the researchers took into account factors that can affect health, such as age, smoking and drinking habits, education and occupation. Darryl Leong, an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University, said, “Measuring grip strength is really an easy and inexpensive way to assess a person’s risk of death and cardiovascular disease.” The study was published in The Lancet (The Lancet) medical journal.