Reference values for Handgrip Strength in young people of both sexes

The handgrip strength is considered an excellentpredictor of morbidity and mortality for acute and longterm outcomes. In fact, several studies showed that thereduced handgrip strength is correlated to all-cause mortalityin both middle aged and elderly subjects. Nevertheless,defined reference values of handgrip strength are notavailable, especially from young and healthy populations.The aim of this study was to determine the reference valuesfor handgrip strength from a healthy population of youngvolunteers. A secondary objective was to derivate a musclefunction T score useful for adults and elderly individuals.We enrolled 335 healthy university students (157 men and178 females) aged 19–25 years. The handgrip strength wasmeasured using a hydraulic hand dynamometer by traineddietitians. The mean handgrip strength value was27.70 ± 4.3 kg for female and 44.77 ± 6.6 kg for male.We showed statistical difference between sexes. We alsofound the lower T score in community-dwelling elderlyindividuals in comparison to the young people. The musclestrength loss is a multi-factorial process influenced by ageand hormonal factors. The availability of the referencevalues in both sexes might open the way to the diffusion ofthe handgrip strength assessment for more clinical use, andit might be useful to identify people who could benefit fromearly nutritional or pharmacological programs.