We all want to know how long we’re going to live, or at least get a rough idea. There are many different complex medical tests you can do to get an idea of when you’ll die, but a team of researchers from Brazil has determined a quick and easy way to get a ballpark figure.
The researchers found that individuals who are unable to stand on one leg for more than 10 seconds are much more likely (84 per cent more) to die within the next decade, compared with those who could complete the task.
The team studied 1702 men and women aged 51 to 75. Out of this group, 348 could not successfully stand on one leg for 10 seconds – mostly the over-70s and those who were overweight or had diabetes.
They then tracked each person for an average of seven years between 2008 and 2020.
A total of 123 people died during this period, with 4.6 per cent of deaths among the group that could balance, and 17.5 per cent the group that could not.
Even when accounting for other factors like age, sex, BMI, obesity, and other healthy conditions, mortality was still far higher in the second group.
The researchers say the data suggests that struggling to balance could be a sign of significant muscle loss, leaving older people at increased risk of falls.
An estimated 684,000 people die from falls every year worldwide, with many others suffering complications which eventually result in death.
But Dr Claudio Gil Araujo, lead author of the study says the link between balance and life expectancy may be related to factors other than falls.
“Our study indicates that the inability to complete a 10-second one-legged stance (OLS) in middle-aged and older participants is related to a higher risk of all-cause mortality and, consequently, to a shorter life expectancy,” he says.
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