We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how standing on one leg can reveal your brain age, while your exercise recovery rate can tell you how your heart is faring.

And while markers like how many sit-ups and push-ups you can do over time aren’t the be-all and end-all signs of your overall health, they can be surprisingly informative when it comes to spotting signs of muscle loss.

Still, not all measures of health are as athletic as that. In fact some researchers have been trying to make the case for grip strength as a biomarker for how well someone is ageing, calling it an “indispensable” way to measure older adults’ health.

It’s been linked to bone density, fall risk, cognitive ability, nutrition status, sleep, and plenty more. Perhaps that’s why Dr Ardeshir Hashmi told The Cleveland Clinic: “People who maintain their grip strength age more slowly. They stay healthier longer and are........

© HuffPost