A recent study by Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, shows that a decrease in grasping power in otherwise healthy people can indicate type 2 diabetes. Representative samples of American health and nutritional studies from 2011 to 2014 were put into relation to the grasping strength of presumed risk patients for diabetes. In addition to sociodemographic data, factors such as lifestyle, waist circumference, body weight and gender as well as the age of the otherwise healthy subjects were considered and evaluated. An inexpensive portable so-called hand grip dynamometer evaluated hand and forearm strength. Using this data in relation to the other factors mentioned above, the researchers then analysed and determined so-called age- and gender-specific gripping force intersections that could be assigned to the various body weights. The average values of the determination represent a normal gripping strength, but if the gripping strength is below the average value, this could be an indication of an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, which initially develops asymptomatically, but in the long term can lead to severe damage, including nervous disorders, blindness, kidney disease, diabetic foot, etc. In order to avoid these dimensions of the disease, scientists will probably rely on routine screenings in the future, in which simple and uncomplicated devices take over the manual force measurement. This is low cost and requires minimal training, but can also be used in a time-efficient manner, which means that early diagnosis of the risk of diabetes can be made quickly and promptly.
