In life, balance can really be the key.
This may be especially true for the elderly. According to a new study, it may be possible to predict how long they will live based on how well they can balance on one leg.
The inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds is associated with almost doubling the risk of death from any cause over the next decade, the study found.
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According to a report published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the balance declined rapidly after the mid-1950s, often increasing the risk of falls and other health hazards.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Claudio Gilles Soares de Araujo, a sports and exercise doctor and director of research and education at the CLINIMEX Medical Exercise Clinic in Rio de Janeiro, wrote that poor balance and musculoskeletal health can be associated with weakness in the elderly. adults.
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“Older people are at very high risk of large fractures and other related complications,” Araujo wrote. “This may play a role in the higher risk of mortality.”
The study was conducted on 1702 Brazilians aged 51 to 75 years.
At their first check-up in the study, data on each participant’s weight, waist size and body fat measurements were collected by the research team. The study included only individuals who could walk without significant difficulty.
The participants in the study were observed from 2008 to 2020.
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Participants were given three attempts to balance without support for 10 seconds on one leg with their leg raised, touching the back of the upright leg, both sides to the side and eyes facing forward.
Every fifth participant failed to do so.
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According to the study, the ability to balance one leg for 10 seconds decreases with age. Those who failed the test, according to the study, were usually in poorer health than the other participants. They are also more likely to be obese and have cardiovascular disease, unhealthy blood cholesterol levels and type 2 diabetes.
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At the conclusion of the study, the researchers concluded that the risk of death within 10 years was almost twice as high in participants who failed the one-legged test. This determination was made after taking into account factors including age, gender, BMI, history of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol, the study said.
Balance, Araujo writes in the study, is needed for a wide range of daily tasks.
“Remember that we regularly have to stand in one leg, get out of a car, go up or down a step or a staircase, and so on,” Araujo wrote.
He also noted in the study that an older person’s balance can be improved through increased physical activity and exercise.
It is not yet known exactly why loss of balance can predict death in older people, the researchers note in the study.
In Canada, falls are the leading cause of injuries among the elderly. According to the Government of Canada, 20 to 30% of adults experience one or more falls each year.
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