Fitness

Balance Test That Reveals Your Chance of Dying

• By Rich Health News Desk
• October 30, 2024

If a person cannot stand on one leg for 10 seconds in mid- to later life, their chance of dying from any cause within the next ten years is nearly doubled. The British Journal of Sports Medicine published additional research findings on June 21, 2022, supporting this.

 

The researchers suggested adding this easy-to-use and secure balancing test to older persons' regular physical examinations.

 

Compared to aerobic fitness, muscle strength, and flexibility, balance usually stays pretty well preserved until the sixth decade of life, at which point it begins to degrade relatively quickly, according to the study.

 

However, health examinations for middle-aged and older men and women do not usually include a balance assessment. This may be due to the lack of a standardized test for it and the paucity of concrete evidence relating balance to clinical outcomes (except from falls).

 

Therefore, the scientists sought to know if a balance test may be a good predictor of a person's chance of dying within the following ten years from any cause and, if so, if it should be included in regular health examinations later in life.

 

Participants in the CLINIMEX Exercise cohort trial were consulted by the researchers. This was established in 1994 to evaluate the relationships between several physical fitness metrics, exercise-related characteristics, and traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and the risk of illness and mortality.

 

The 1702 individuals in the current research were first checked out between February 2009 and December 2020, with an average age of 61. They ranged in age from 51 to 75. Sixty-eight percent (68%) were men.

 

Waist circumference, weight, and several skinfold thickness measurements were obtained. Additionally, medical history details were given. They were limited to individuals with a steady gait.

 

Participants were instructed to stand on one leg without any additional assistance for ten seconds as part of the check-up.

 

In order to enhance the test's uniformity, participants were instructed to maintain their arms at their sides and look straight ahead while positioning the front of their free foot on the rear of the opposing lower leg. On either foot, up to three tries were allowed.

 

Overall, about 1 in 5 (20.5%; 348) test-takers were unable to pass. As people aged, the incapacity to do so increased as well, roughly doubling every five years starting at age 51–55.

 

A total of 5% of people aged 51–55, 8% of people aged 56–60, less than 18% of people aged 61–65, and less than 37% of people aged 66–70 were unable to stand on one leg for 10 seconds.

 

Of those 71–75 years old, over half (about 54%) could not finish the test. Put differently, the risk of failing the test was more than 11 times higher for persons in this age group than for those who were just 20 years younger.

 

In 123 (7%) cases over an average observation period of 7 years, the causes of death were COVID-19 complications (7%), cancer (32%), cardiovascular disease (30%), and respiratory disease (9%).

 

When comparing the causes of death of individuals who failed the test to those who passed, there were no discernible temporal patterns in either group.

 

However, the percentage of deaths among test-failers was much greater (17.5% vs. 4.5%), with an absolute difference of less than 13%.

 

Those who failed the test were generally in worse health; a greater percentage of them were obese and/or had high blood pressure, heart disease, and/or unfavorable blood fat profiles. And in this group, type 2 diabetes was three times more common (38% vs. roughly 13%).

 

An inability to stand unsupported on one leg for 10 seconds was linked to an 84% increased risk of dying from any cause during the next ten years, even after controlling for age, sex, and underlying medical disorders.

 

Since this study is observational in nature, it is unable to determine a cause. The researchers emphasize that because all of the participants were white Brazilians, there may not be a wider applicability of the findings to other ethnic groups and countries.

 

Furthermore, there was a lack of information on other factors that can have an impact, such as a history of falls recently, levels of physical activity, food, smoking, and drug usage that might affect balance.

 

However, the researchers come to the conclusion that the 10-second balance test “provides rapid and objective feedback for the patient and health professionals regarding static balance,” and that the test “adds useful information regarding mortality risk in middle-aged and older men and women.”