Low handgrip strength is not a standalone prostate cancer predictor in older men

New research in older European men found that low handgrip strength was not an independent predictor of prostate cancer after statistical adjustment. The result suggests grip strength may still reflect overall health, but it should not be used alone to estimate prostate cancer risk.

Why it matters: - Handgrip strength is often viewed as a simple marker of frailty and overall health. - This study suggests clinicians should not use low grip strength alone to predict prostate cancer risk in older men. - The finding matters because prostate cancer remains a major global disease burden, and early risk signals are often sought in routine health checks.

What happened: - Researchers published a study in Maturitas examining whether low handgrip strength predicted prostate cancer risk in older European men. - The team analyzed a longitudinal cohort of 64,371 men aged 50 and above at baseline. - Participants were recruited in 2004 through wave 1 of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe and followed through multiple waves until 2022. - Prostate cancer status came from self-reported physician diagnoses. - Handgrip strength was measured with a Smedley dynamometer. - The study used pooled logistic regression, fixed-effects models and propensity score matching, with adjustment for age, body mass index, mental health, chronic conditions and country-level effects.

The details: - The research was led by affiliated teams from the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, Roskilde University in Denmark, the University of Helsinki in Finland, Shifa International Hospitals in Pakistan and King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. - Initial models showed an association between low handgrip strength and a 1.13 percentage point increase in prostate cancer risk. - A propensity score matching model suggested an 83% relative increase in risk, with a 1.30 percentage point difference and an odds ratio of 1.949. - After country-level matching, the handgrip strength effect became statistically insignificant. - The authors write that low handgrip strength does not independently predict prostate cancer risk in older European men. - The researchers also say handgrip strength remains a useful marker of overall health, but its role in prostate cancer risk assessment appears limited. - WHO estimates about 1.5 million new prostate cancer cases globally each year. - WHO says prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men and the fourth most common cancer overall. - WHO’s Global Cancer Observatory estimates about 5 million to 6 million people worldwide are living with prostate cancer.

Between the lines: - The result helps separate a general frailty marker from a disease-specific predictor. - The study also shows how an apparent association can weaken after accounting for confounding factors such as age, chronic illness and country differences. - The authors argue that some earlier research on handgrip strength focused on overall cancer outcomes, not prostate cancer specifically. - The findings may also reflect differences in cancer type, study population, sample size and handgrip measurement methods. - The study’s limitations include possible residual confounding from unmeasured factors such as diet, physical activity, genetic predisposition and healthcare use. - Excluding participants with hand arthritis may have introduced selection bias and narrowed generalizability.

What’s next: - The authors recommend future studies use large European cohorts, standardized handgrip measurement and propensity score matching with a prostate cancer-specific focus. - Further research will need to test whether any subgroup of older men shows a clearer link between grip strength and prostate cancer risk. - For now, the study suggests low handgrip strength should be treated as a broad health signal, not a standalone prostate cancer screening tool.

The bottom line: - Low handgrip strength may flag poorer overall health, but this study found it should not be used on its own to predict prostate cancer risk in older men.

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