You are never too old to exercise your rights to a healthy brain

All kinds of folks know that you have to get a grip. Carl Sagan once said: “Science is an attempt, largely successful, to understand the world, to get a grip on things …” And Tupac once rapped, “Gotta get a tight grip, don’t slip …” Researchers from Michigan Medicine agree.

They tracked more than 1,200 middle-age and older adults for eight to 10 years and found that muscle weakness — measured by grip strength — accelerates aging. They looked at biological clocks known as DNA methylation that can track, on a molecular level, whether you are age-defying or aging prematurely. Their conclusion: Older men and women showed an association between weak grip strength and biological age acceleration across those DNA methylation clocks. This confirms another study that found that grip strength is a better predictor of the risk for a heart attack than systolic blood pressure.

If you have trouble carrying grocery bags for more than a few minutes without putting them down for a break; your hands and forearms get tired when you’re shoveling snow, walking your dog or typing on the keyboard; or your hands often cramp, your grip is subpar.

How do you maintain and improve grip strength? Use a squeeze ball or grippers (a handheld spring device) to do contractions — 10 squeezes in each hand three times daily. Also, work to build overall muscle strength: Strength training exercises twice a week and moderate and vigorous aerobics five days a week combat age-related muscle weakness. So, get a grip on your health.

Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is “The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow.”