University of Leicester
Browse

Handgrip strength and risk of cognitive outcomes: new prospective study and meta-analysis of 16 observational cohort studies

Download (696.92 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2024-03-04, 12:46 authored by SK Kunutsor, NM Isiozor, A Voutilainen, JA Laukkanen
Handgrip strength (HGS), a measure of muscular strength, might be a risk indicator for cognitive functioning, but the evidence is not consistent. Using a new prospective study and meta-analysis of published observational cohort studies, we aimed to evaluate the prospective associations of HGS with poor cognitive outcomes including cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Handgrip strength, measured using a Martin-Balloon-Vigorimeter, was assessed at baseline in a population-based sample of 852 men and women with good cognitive function in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease cohort. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for cognitive outcomes. Relevant published studies were sought in MEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science from inception until October 2021 and pooled using random effects meta-analysis. During a median follow-up of 16.6 years, 229 dementia cases were recorded. Comparing extreme tertiles of HGS, the multivariable adjusted HR (95% CI) for dementia, AD and vascular dementia was 0.77 (0.55–1.07), 0.75 (0.52–1.10) and 0.49 (0.16–1.48), respectively. In a meta-analysis of 16 population-based prospective cohort studies (including the current study) comprising 180,920 participants, the pooled multivariable adjusted relative risks (95% CIs) comparing the top vs bottom thirds of HGS levels were as follows: 0.58 (0.52–0.65) for cognitive impairment; 0.37 (0.07–1.85) for cognitive decline; 0.73 (0.62–0.86) for dementia; 0.68 (0.53–0.87) for AD; and 0.48 (0.32–0.73) for vascular dementia. GRADE quality of evidence ranged from low to very low. Meta-analysis of aggregate prospective data suggests that HGS may be a risk indicator for poor cognitive outcomes such as cognitive impairment, dementia and AD. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO 2021: CRD42021237750.

Funding

Prof. Laukkanen is supported by the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, Helsinki, Finland.

History

Author affiliation

College of Life Sciences/Population Health Sciences

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Published in

GeroScience

Volume

44

Issue

4

Pagination

2007 - 2024

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

issn

2509-2715

eissn

2509-2723

Copyright date

2022

Available date

2024-03-04

Spatial coverage

Switzerland

Language

eng

Deposited by

Dr Setor Kunutsor

Deposit date

2024-03-01

Usage metrics

    University of Leicester Publications

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Licence

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC