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A firm handshake could be a sign of a longer life expectancy, according to British researchers.

Scientists at the Medical Research Council found that elderly people who could still give a firm handshake and walk at a brisk pace were likely to outlive their slower peers.

They found that simple measures of physical capability such as shaking hands, walking, getting up from a chair and balancing on one leg were related to life span, even after accounting for age, sex and body size. The study is the first to provide a comprehensive view of the existing research by pooling data from 33 studies.

The researchers examined 33 studies involving tens of thousands of people, most of whom were aged over 60 but living in the community rather than in a hospital or nursing home.

Of 14 studies dealing with grip strength, the researchers found that those with the strongest hand grasps tended to live longer than those with limp grips.

The death rate over the period of the studies for people with weak handshakes was 67 percent higher than for people with a firm grip.