Participants were asked to stand on one leg for ten seconds without any other support, with their hands on their sides and looking straight ahead.
The impotence of a man middle or old age to stand on one foot for ten seconds associated with almost double the risk of death for whatever reason within the next decade, according to one new brazilian scientific researchthe first to make this correlation.
The study shows that this simple and safe balance test could be included in the routine exams of the elderly. Unlike aerobic fitness and muscle strength and flexibility, balance tends to be fairly well maintained until the sixth decade of life, when it then begins to decline relatively quickly. Until now, balance tests are not often used in middle-aged people.
The researchers, led by him Dr. Claudio Jill Araούjo of Clinimex Medicine Exercise in the Rio de Janeiro, Brazilwho made the relevant publication in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, analyzed data on 1,702 people aged 51 to 75, who were asked to stand on one leg for ten seconds without any other supportwhile they had hands on their sides and looked straight ahead. Up to three attempts were allowed on each leg.
Finally, the one in five participants (348 people or 20.5%) failed the test. The older one was, the greater the chance of failure (about twice as much for every five years after age 50). Unable to stand on one leg for ten seconds were 5% of people aged 51-55, 8% in the 56-60 age group, 18% in the 61-65 age group, 37% in the 66-70 age group and more than half (54%) at 71-75 years old.
During a seven-year follow-up period 123 people died (7%): 32% from cancer, 30% from cardiovascular causes, 9% from respiratory disease and 7% from complications of Covid-19. The death rate was significantly higher (17.5%) among those who had been “cut” in the balance test compared to those who had “passed” (4.5%).
Generally, those who did not pass the test had worse health, as they were obese, had heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes at a higher rate compared to those who passed the test. Taking into account other factors (age, sex, underlying diseases, etc.), it was estimated that imbalance in one leg was associated with an 84% increased risk of death from any cause within the next ten years.
