Key numbers
139,691
PURE participants with known vital status
1.16
All-cause mortality, per 5 kg lower grip, adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI 1.13 to 1.20)
Why this study appears in the library
Systematic's science write-up names Leong and the PURE study as the Bedrock Study for the Dead Hang. PURE measured grip with a dynamometer, a handheld device that records squeeze strength. The Systematic Dead Hang measures how long you can hold your body weight hanging from a bar, which is a different test.
What Leong et al. (2015) found
Leong and colleagues (2015) analyzed 139,691 PURE participants with known vital status (median follow-up 4.0 years). Each 5-kg lower dynamometer handgrip was associated with adjusted hazard ratios of 1.16 (95% CI 1.13 to 1.20) for all-cause mortality and 1.17 (1.11 to 1.24) for cardiovascular mortality. These are epidemiological associations, not evidence that weak grip causes death.
What this does not show
It does not provide dead hang norms or measure hang time, and it is not evidence for how long any one person can or should hang. It is underlying-capacity evidence for grip, and an association across a population, not a prediction for an individual.
The evidence
Each cited source is labeled according to how it supports the particular claim on this page. Direct test evidence, underlying-capacity findings and population reference values are distinguished from Systematic-defined protocols and standards. Historical development notes are retained internally rather than presented as public evidence. A study of an underlying capacity is never presented as validation of the Systematic test itself.
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Underlying-capacity evidence
Leong et al. (2015). Prognostic value of grip strength: findings from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. The Lancet.
What it found. In 139,691 PURE participants (median 4.0 years), each 5-kg lower handgrip was associated with adjusted hazard ratios of 1.16 for all-cause and 1.17 for cardiovascular mortality.
What it does not show. It did not measure dead hang time and gives no dead hang norms.
The Systematic Healthspan Assessment is a physical baseline. It is not a diagnosis, and it does not estimate a biological age, a disease risk or a lifespan.