Overview

• Analyzing 93,275 UK Biobank participants over a mean 13.4 years, the study found stronger handgrip strength was associated with reduced progression to heart, liver, or kidney damage linked to excess body fat and with lower all-cause mortality.
• Participants were in a "preclinical obesity" stage characterized by elevated adiposity without established organ dysfunction, offering risk stratification beyond BMI alone.
• The protective associations were consistent when using additional muscle metrics, including muscle-to-weight and lean-to-weight ratios.
• Exploratory subgroup analyses indicated relatively greater benefits for Black participants, women, and non-smokers.
• Authors emphasized grip testing as an accessible screening option and called for intervention trials to test causality, noting funding from the Collaboration in Action Program 2024, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.