Grip Strength and Gastrointestinal Disease: The New Essential Biomarker

Imagine if a simple handshake could offer powerful insights into someone’s risk of gastrointestinal disease.

This isn’t just a metaphor. Grip strength has emerged as an indispensable data point for assessing and monitoring patients with complex health conditions, including gastrointestinal disease.

In this article, we explore several grip strength insights related to gastrointestinal disease.

Chronic inflammation and malnutrition in GI disorders lead to systemic muscle wasting which is reflected by a reduced grip strength.

This document explains how grip strength can be used in clinical practice to assess risk, progression and prognosis in patients with gastrointestinal disease.

“Grip strength is a key indicator of health; it’s a proxy for your overall strength and physical function.”

Peter Attia MD; Longevity Expert

Must-Know Metrics: Grip Strength and Gastrointestinal Disease

Grip Strength and IBD: Identifying the Risk of Hospitalisation

Individuals with a reduced grip strength and pre-existing diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are 3.96 times more likely to have an IBD-related hospitalization (disease flare, surgery, or infection) than those with grip strength above the cutoff (<24.3 lbs* for females and <41.0 lbs* for males). [Bedard et al., 2023]

Decreased Risk of Gastrointestinal Disease

The UK biobank cohort study systematically assessed the association between grip strength values with a spectrum of 24 different gastrointestinal diseases. [Dan et al., 2024]

For healthy adults presenting with a grip strength in the lowest third, an increase of 12.1 lbs* is significantly associated with a decreased risk of 16 gastrointestinal diseases by 6-20%.
For healthy adults presenting in the middle third, (mean grip strength 47.8 lbs*) an increase in 12.6 lbs* is significantly associated with a decreased risk of 16 gastrointestinal diseases by 6-20%.
For healthy adults presenting in the upper third (mean grip strength 59.5 lbs*) an increase in 15.7 lbs* is significantly associated with a decreased risk of 16 gastrointestinal diseases by 6-20%.

*Note that all cut off points have been converted to GripAble-equivalent measurements for consistency

Grip Strength and Gastrointestinal Disease in Practice

Clinical Application

Measure grip strength during routine check-ups to assess risk factors and track trends over time.

For high-risk patients, consider providing a hand dynamometer for regular, at-home monitoring. Pay attention when grip strength drops below cut-off points or decreases by more than a quartile.

Patient Empowerment

Give patients access to their grip strength scores. This is a clear, tangible measure they can easily understand and actively improve with guidance.

Unlike blood pressure, grip strength is relatable and empowering, enabling patients to track their progress as a key indicator of their independence.

Practical Considerations

Use grip strength as a first-line test for objective assessments, guiding and supporting the interpretation of more invasive tests.

Impact: Grip Strength and Gastrointestinal Disease

Reduce Utilization: better risk stratification and monitoring

Improve Patient Satisfaction: give patients a quick, non-invasive tool to monitor disease status and response to treatment at home

Support Risk Adjustment: quantify disease impact by using grip strength interpretation as an objective measurement of patient nutritional status and full body strength

What next?

For further reading, dive into our extensive collection of studies on using a hand dynamometer, grip strength and more here including:

Contribute: Partner with us in research or patient case studies to advance the knowledge of grip strength as a biomarker.

Understand: Get the essentials on hand dynamometry and how to integrate grip strength into your practice with our comprehensive guide.

Get in touch: Website: able-care.co Email: hello@able-care.co

Citations

Asaoka D, et al. The Association between Frailty and Abdominal Symptoms: A Hospital-based Cross-sectional Study. Intern Med. 2020;59(14):1677-1685. [LINK]
Bedard K, et al. Handgrip strength and risk of malnutrition are associated with an increased risk of hospitalizations in inflammatory bowel disease patients. Therap Adv Gastroenterol. 2023 Aug 31;16:17. [LINK]
Cabalzar, AL, et al. Muscle function and quality of life in the Crohn’s disease. Fisioterapia Em Movimento, 30(2), 337-345. (2017) [LINK]
Dan, L, et al. Risk of subsequent gastrointestinal disease assessed by skeletal muscle strength and mass in a prospective cohort study. IScience, 27(4). (2024) [LINK]
Ze LL, et al. Handgrip Strength Index Predicts Nutritional Status as a Complement to Body Mass Index in Crohn’s Disease, Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis, Volume 10, Issue 12, 1 December 2016, Pages 1395-1400, [LINK]
Otto, M, et al. Handgrip Strength as a Predictor for Post Bariatric Body Composition. OBES SURG 24, 2082-2088 (2014). [LINK]
Song, BK, et al. Associations Between Muscular Strength and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Older Adults. J Phys Act Health. 2021 Aug 25;18(10):1207-1214. [LINK]
Song, BK., et al. (n.d.). Associations between Muscular Strength and Digestive System Disorders in Older Adults. [LINK]
Valentini, L, et al. Malnutrition and impaired muscle strength in patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in remission. Nutrition, 24(7-8), 694-702. (2008) [LINK]
Wu, S, et al Frailty status and risk of irritable bowel syndrome in middle-aged and older adults: A large-scale prospective cohort study. EClinicalMedicine, 56. (2023).[LINK]