Synergistic effect of low handgrip strength and malnutrition on 4-year all-cause mortality in older males: A prospective longitudinal cohort study

•Malnutrition was associated with low handgrip strength among older male adults.•Both malnutrition and low handgrip strength were predictors for mortality.•Low handgrip strength with malnutrition synergistically increased the mortality risk. No studies have yet examined the interrelationship of malnutrition and low handgrip strength in terms of mortality. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential synergistic effects of malnutrition and low handgrip strength on mortality among older adults living in a retirement community. This prospective longitudinal cohort study recruited subjects aged 65 years and over from a veterans care home in Taiwan in 2013. Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF, malnutrition was MNA-SF