Does Muscle Strength During Adolescence Predict Longevity?

In adults, low muscle strength is associated with higher rates of all-cause and cardiovascular death, but whether the same is true for adolescents is unknown. In this prospective cohort study, Swedish investigators analyzed national data from mandatory conscription examinations in >1.1 million male adolescents (age range, 16–19) to determine the association between muscle strength and premature death (i.e., before age 55).

During a median follow-up of 24 years, >26,000 participants died. Adolescents in the lowest decile of muscle strength had the highest mortality. In analysis adjusted for multiple variables, high muscle strength (as measured with knee extension and handgrip) was associated with 20% to 35% lower risk for premature death from…