Getting a grip on your health (Roizon article)

1) A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology reported that your handshake conveys a lot about your personality (introverted? confident? more or less neurotic?). But, that’s not all your grip says about you. A new study in BMJ Open found that if your grip strength — as measured twice on a hand dynamometer — is less than average for your sex, age and body height, it can indicate an underlying, life-shortening health problem.

If you’re losing your grip, it’s smart to get a thorough physical checkup — assessing liver, heart, kidney and gastrointestinal function, glucose levels/insulin resistance, cardiovascular health, and nutritional status — and begin a strength-building routine to improve your overall muscle power.

[Safety Lane uses a hand dynamometer to assess these issues in every exam we do]

2) Another study this week reveals that for folks with diabetes, restricting eating to 10 hours a day improves glucose control. The study in Diabetologia found that following that routine for three weeks lowered participants’ 24-hour glucose levels from 7.6 mmol/l to 6.8 mmol/l and their fasting glucose from 8.6 mmol/l to 7.6 mmol/l.