This might freak you out if you have trouble standing on one foot for a long period of time.
A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine linked an inability to balance on either leg to a nearly doubled risk of death.
This research, which only studied those in middle to later life, seems to show a connection between balance and survival that goes beyond accidental slips.
The international team of researchers found that all of the adults who were tracked over the course of 12 years had a normal gait.
At the beginning of the trial, everyone had to take a standardized balance assessment, in which they had to stand for ten seconds on each leg without assistance.
123 people died from a variety of ailments over the course of 12 years. The experts found that 17.3 percent of those who died failed the balance test, compared to 4.5 percent who passed the stability exam.
An inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds was associated with an 84 percent increased risk of death within the next decade.
There are flaws in the research. White Brazilians were only studied by the doctors, raising questions about whether the results will translate to a larger population.
The research doesn't make any claims about causality, but the results could lead to future studies that further unpack what's happening.
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