10-second balance test may predict longevity

How long should you be able to stand on one foot? For older adults, being able to balance briefly on one foot may predict longevity.

For older adults, being able to balance briefly on one foot may predict how long they'll live.

People who failed a 10-second balance test of standing on one foot were nearly twice as likely to die in the next 10 years, according to a report published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Unlike aerobic fitness, flexibility and muscle strength, balance tends to be preserved until the sixth decade of life, after which it wanes precipitously, the Brazilian researchers noted.

Exactly why a loss of balance can predict risk of death is not yet known, said the study’s lead author, Dr. Claudio Gil Soares de Araújo, a sports and exercise physician and director of research and education at the Exercise Medicine Clinic-CLINIMEX in Rio de Janeiro.

But poor balance and musculoskeletal fitness can be linked with frailty in older adults, Araújo wrote in an email.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/10-second-balance-test-may-predict-longevity-rcna34585

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