A test to tell if you're at risk of early death
LONDON: Scientists have found that the ability or inability to stand up
on one leg can indicate which 53-year-olds are at risk of premature
death.
Fifty-three-year-old men who could balance on one leg for more than 10 seconds and stand up and sit down in a chair more than 37 times in a minute were found to be least likely to die early. Women in the same age group who could stand up and sit down more than 35 times in a minute and stand on one leg for more than 10 seconds were also in the low-risk category.
The researchers led by Rachel Cooper at the Medical Research Council Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at University College London examined the associations of grip strength, chair rise speed and standing balance time at age 53 with death rates from all-causes over the following 13 years. The survey has been tracking the health of over 5,000 people since their births in 1946.
Low levels of physical capability - in particular weak grip strength, slow chair rise speed and poor standing balance performance have been found to accurately indicate poorer chances of survival over the next 13 years while greater time spent in light intensity physical activity each day is linked to a reduced risk of developing disability in adults. Those with poor grip strength, chair rise speed and standing balance time at the age of 53 had over 12 times higher death rates.
Fifty-three-year-old men who could balance on one leg for more than 10 seconds and stand up and sit down in a chair more than 37 times in a minute were found to be least likely to die early. Women in the same age group who could stand up and sit down more than 35 times in a minute and stand on one leg for more than 10 seconds were also in the low-risk category.
The researchers led by Rachel Cooper at the Medical Research Council Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at University College London examined the associations of grip strength, chair rise speed and standing balance time at age 53 with death rates from all-causes over the following 13 years. The survey has been tracking the health of over 5,000 people since their births in 1946.
Low levels of physical capability - in particular weak grip strength, slow chair rise speed and poor standing balance performance have been found to accurately indicate poorer chances of survival over the next 13 years while greater time spent in light intensity physical activity each day is linked to a reduced risk of developing disability in adults. Those with poor grip strength, chair rise speed and standing balance time at the age of 53 had over 12 times higher death rates.
