Scientists say people who can’t balance on one leg in middle age are twice as likely to die prematurely:

Middle-aged people who can’t balance on one leg are twice as likely to die soon, scientists say.

Researchers evaluating 2,000 people aged 50 to 75 in Brazil found that those who could not stand on one leg for 10 seconds were 84% more likely to die in the next decade than those who completed the exercise.

The “simple and safe” balance test can detect people in poor health – those who struggle to complete the task are more likely to have heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

The team said the “flamingo test” could be used in routine health checkups to provide “useful information” about the elderly’s risk of death.

Considering age, gender, and underlying health conditions, those who could not stand on one leg for 10 seconds without support were 84% more likely to die from any cause within the next ten years. The graph shows the survival rate between those who complete the 10-second single leg challenge (blue line) and those who fail (red line).

To ensure all participants were doing the same, they were asked to place the front of one foot behind the other lower leg, keeping their arms at their sides, and facing straight ahead (pictured)

It is unlikely that this is aerobic fitness, muscular strength and flexibility, balance is usually maintained quite well until the age of sixty – after which point it breaks down.

Balance checks are not routinely included in health checks for the elderly, due to the lack of a standardized test to measure this, according to the researchers.

There is also limited data on how balance relates to health and the chance of further falls.

The team at the CLINIMEX Exercise Medicine Clinic in Rio de Janeiro examined the results of a previous study to understand whether a balance test is an indicator of health.

The study, which began in 1994, recruited 1,702 people in Brazil who passed various fitness tests, including standing on one leg for 10 seconds without any support.

To ensure that all participants did it evenly, they were asked to place the front of one foot behind the other lower leg, keeping their arms at their sides, and facing straight ahead.

The researchers also collected data on their weight, waistline, and blood pressure. The volunteers were followed for an average of seven years.

The results, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, showed that one-fifth of the participants were unable to stand on one leg.

The rate increased with age: only 5% of youth aged 51-55 failed this task, compared to 54% of youth aged 71-75.

About 123 people died during the study.

The scientists did not see clear trends in causes of death between those who could complete the test and those who did not.

However, when age, gender, and underlying health conditions were taken into account, those who could not stand on one leg unassisted for 10 seconds were 84% more likely to die from any cause within the next ten years.

Those who did not pass the test also had worse health. A higher percentage had obese, heart disease, high blood pressure, and unhealthy blood fat profiles.

And type 2 diabetes was three times more common in this group.

The researchers noted that all participants were white Brazilians, so the results may not apply to other ethnicities and countries.

No information was found on factors that could affect the balance, such as a recent history of falls, physical activity levels, diet, smoking, and drug use in the volunteers.

However, the researchers noted that the 10-second balance test “provides quick and objective feedback to the patient and healthcare professionals on static balance.”

They said it “adds useful information about the risk of death in middle-aged and older men and women.”