Balancing on one leg may be useful health test in later life, research suggests

If you can't stand on one leg, that could be a sign of something more serious. Middle-aged and elderly people who can't balance on one leg for 10 seconds are more likely to die within 10 years than people who can.

A person's health can be gauged by how well they balance. It has been shown that people who can't balance on one leg are more likely to have a stroke. People with poor balance have been found to perform worse in tests of mental decline.

The first-of-its-kind 12-year study examining the relationship between balance and mortality has been completed by a group of experts. The findings were striking even though the research was observational.

If you can't stand on one leg for 10 seconds in middle to later life, you're more likely to die from any cause within the next 10 years. The results were published in a medical journal.

A balance test should be included in health checks for older people because of the stark findings of the researchers.

Balance tends to be well preserved until the sixth decade of life, when it begins to decline. Balance assessment isn't usually included in health checks of middle-aged and older people. Balance has been linked to clinical outcomes other than falls.

Runners' guide for stability exercises.

Between 2008 and 2020 a total of 1,702 people between the ages of 51 and 75 were tracked for the study. Participants were asked to stand on one leg for a short time. To standardise the test, participants were asked to place the front of their foot on the back of the other leg while keeping their arms by their sides. There were up to three tries on either foot.

A majority of people failed the test. There were 123 deaths over the next decade. It was found that an inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds was associated with an increased risk of death.

The study was limited due to the fact that the participants were all white Brazilians, so it may not be more applicable to other nations.

The 10-second balance test provides rapid and objective feedback for the patient and health professionals regarding static balance and adds useful information regarding mortality risk in middle-aged and older men and women.