3 strong Biomarkers for Vitality Capacity

1. Muscle strength - maximal grip strength test

Grip strength is an established biomarker for quick assessment of the neuromuscular function and overall muscle strength.

It is indicative of bone mineral density and can signal the risk of fractures, falls, malnutrition, cognitive impairments, depression, sleep disturbances, diabetes, and multimorbidity, thereby affecting overall quality of life. Additionally, it serves as a predictor of all-cause and disease-specific mortality, future functional capacity, bone health, cognitive functions, and mental health. It also provides insights into complications related to hospitalization.

2. Muscle fatigability / strength-endurance - fatigue resistance test

Muscle fatigability / sustained endurance testing complements Muscle strength because of it's: 

• Muscle fatigability better reflects the endurance required for daily activities, providing a more accurate measure of functional capacity in older persons.
• It is a stronger predictor of frailty and dependency in daily living activities, identifying individuals who may need more support.
• It detects early signs of muscle function decline that grip strength might miss, allowing for timely interventions.
• Muscle fatigability is closely linked to inflammatory markers like IL-6 and TNF-α.
• Muscle fatigability is more responsive to clinical changes and treatments, such as physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medications, making it useful for monitoring intervention effectiveness.

Test: The fatigue resistance test combines maximum grip strength and muscle endurance. Participants must squeeze as hard and for as long as they can until the applied pressure falls below 50% of the maximum grip strength. This test produces the Gripwork biomarker, calculated as the area under the pressure curve. Gripwork is a biomarker for the energy and metabolism dimension of Vitality Capacity

3. Capacity to Perceived Vitality Ratio (CPV-ratio) - questionnaire

The Capacity to Perceived Vitality (CPV) ratio is a novel measure that combines grip work (a measure of muscle fatigability) and self-perceived fatigue (SPF) to assess intrinsic capacity or resilience. CPV is calculated by dividing grip work, adjusted for body weight, by the SPF score: CPV = GWweight/SPF. Higher CPV scores indicate better capacity.

A low CPV ratio, indicating high fatigue, has been associated with pre-frailty in community-dwelling older adults. Specifically, for women, each unit increase in the CPV ratio was associated with a 78% decrease in the likelihood of pre-frailty. The effect was less pronounced in men, with each unit increase in CPV ratio associated with a 34% decrease in the likelihood of pre-frailty.

The CPV ratio is calculated using several sub-scales:

• CPV-total (GWcorrected for body weight /MFI-20 total fatigue)
• CPV-general (GWcorrected for body weight /MFI-20 general fatigue)
• CPV-physical (GWcorrected for body weight /MFI-20 physical fatigue)
• CPV-redact (GWcorrected for body weight /MFI-20 reduced activity)
• CPV-redmot (GWcorrected for body weight /MFI-20 reduced motivation)
• CPV-mental (GWcorrected for body weight /MFI-20 mental fatigue)

These sub-scales help researchers and clinicians better understand the specific aspects of fatigue contributing to a low CPV ratio. For example, a low CPV-physical score might suggest that physical fatigue is a significant factor contributing to pre-frailty.

Preliminary findings suggest that the CPV ratio, particularly a low CPV ratio, could be a valuable tool for identifying older adults at risk of frailty and for guiding interventions to prevent or delay its onset .

Eforto related publications

The Eforto protocol, its methods and unique bulb form factor, is grounded in scientific and clinical evidence, reflecting our deep commitment to research.

Clinical studies

Ongoing studies

Additional clinical relevance is currently evalueted in the following studies