Handedness and mortality risk in older women.
Left-handedness has been associated with decreased longevity, although this finding is controversial and not universal. The authors prospectively studied 39,691 women aged 55-69 years from the Iowa Women's Health Study through 5 years of mortality follow-up. No increase in mortality risk was found for left-handed women as compared with right-handed women (age-adjusted hazard ratio 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.86-1.39) or for ambidextrous women (age-adjusted hazard ratio 1.05, 95% CI 0.73-1.49). Adjustment for body mass index, body fat distribution, smoking,  and education did not alter these findings. Further analysis by cause-specific mortality (breast cancer, all other cancer, and circulatory disease) showed no relation to handedness. There was no difference in the mean age at death of left-handed, right-handed, and ambidextrous women. These findings do not support an association between left-handedness and increased mortality risk.
Cerhan
J R
JR
Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis 55454.
Folsom
A R
AR
Potter
J D
JD
Prineas
R J
RJ
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001824:Body Constitution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002423:Cause of Death; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D016387:Women's Health