《JAMA Network Open》发表的新研究来自 Women’s Health Initiative，该长期研究自1990年代起追踪了数万名女性，并在随后对大约5,500名60岁至90岁女性进行分析；更强的手部握力与较低死亡率和更长寿命持续相关，而仅符合每周150分钟有氧运动标准并未成为决定性因素。握力在结果中成为最强讯号，显示保留上肢肌肉功能可在心肺能力之外，独立影响健康结局。实务上，握力的小幅提升，在随访中似乎就对延长预期寿命有明显好处。
流行病学家 Michael LaMonte 用“pickle jar test”概念解释：若打开罐头盖越来越困难，可能意味著潜在疾病或逐步的肌肉流失。日常行为如起身、步行、下床主要依赖下肢肌群，因此上身肌力较易随年龄松弛，握力因此成为反映整体衰退的敏感复合指标。这些结果对于那一代女性尤其关键，因为她们成长时运动指引偏重有氧训练，而研究显示肌肉量对维持行动能力、独立生活与健康老化同样关键。
包括 Stuart Phillips 在内的专家强调，重点并非只训练握力，而是持续进行全面性肌力训练。研究者也指出，多数女性在生病或受伤后难以维持严格有氧计划，但可透过弹力带、自体重，甚至非常简单的负荷（例如拿汤罐头）持续刺激肌肉，对70岁以上女性尤其可行。2026年美国运动医学学院更新的建议也支持这一点：每周两次全身阻力训练，对于美国快速增长且女性比例较高的老年族群，这种可扩张的行为改变有望降低失能风险并提升整体寿命。
New research published in JAMA Network Open from the Women’s Health Initiative tracked thousands of women since the 1990s and later analyzed about 5,500 women in their 60s to 90s; stronger handgrip was consistently associated with lower mortality and longer survival, while meeting the standard 150 minutes per week of aerobic activity alone was not the decisive factor. Grip strength became the strongest signal in the findings, suggesting that preserving upper-body muscle function can independently affect health outcomes beyond cardiorespiratory capacity. In practical terms, a modest improvement in measurable grip appeared to correspond to a meaningful longevity advantage over follow-up.
Epidemiologist Michael LaMonte explained the “pickle jar test” idea: if opening jars becomes harder over time, it may reflect hidden disease or gradual muscle loss. Because everyday actions such as standing up, walking, and getting out of bed mainly rely on lower-body muscles, upper-body strength is easier to lose with age, making grip a sensitive composite marker of general decline. The findings are especially important for women who grew up when guidelines emphasized mostly aerobic exercise, because muscle mass now appears equally critical for mobility, independence, and healthy ageing.
Experts including Stuart Phillips stressed that the message is not to train grip alone, but to sustain overall strength training. Researchers also noted that many women cannot keep strict aerobic routines after illness or injury, yet they may still be able to train with resistance bands, bodyweight, or very simple loads (for example lifting soup cans), especially in women over 70. The 2026 American College of Sports Medicine update supports this by recommending full-body resistance training twice weekly; among the rapidly growing older US population, which is skewed female, such scalable behavior change could reduce disability risk and improve population longevity.