An inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds in later life is linked to nearly double the risk of death from any cause within the next decade, according to a new study.

The simple balance test may be useful to include in routine physical exams for people in middle and old age, the research, which was published last Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggested.

While aging leads to a decline in physical fitness, muscle strength and flexibility, balance tends to be reasonably well-preserved until a person’s 50s, when it starts to wane relatively rapidly, the research noted. Previous research has linked the inability to stand on one leg to a greater risk of falls and to cognitive decline.

The study involved 1,702 people ages 51 to 75 living in Brazil, who were asked to balance unsupported on one leg during an initial check. Researchers told the participants to place the front of the free foot behind the standing leg, keep their arms by their sides and eyes fixed straight ahead. Up to three attempts on either foot were permitted.

Being able to balance on one leg is important for older people for a number of reasons, and it is also reflective of wider fitness and health levels, said study author Dr. Claudio Gil Araújo at Exercise Medicine Clinic — CLINIMEX — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The study participants had an average age of 61 and two-thirds of them were men. Around one in five failed to balance on one leg for 10 seconds at the initial checkup.

Researchers monitored the participants after the initial checkup for a period of seven years, during which 123 — 7% — of the people being studied died. The proportion of deaths among those who failed the test (17.5%) was significantly higher than deaths among those who were able to balance for 10 seconds (4.5%).

The study found that for those unable to complete the balance test there was an 84% higher risk of death from any cause, and this link remained even when other factors — including age, sex, BMI, and preexisting conditions or health risks such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes — were taken into account.

The research was observational and doesn’t reveal cause and effect. The study didn’t look at any possible biological mechanisms that might explain the link between poor balance and longevity.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【比例】bǐlì proportion a part, share, or number considered in comparative relation to a whole

【观察性的】guāncháxìng de observational of, relating to, or founded on observation, especially founded on observation rather than experiment

一项新研究发现，中老年人如果无法单腿站立10秒钟，未来十年内由任何因素导致的死亡风险将会翻番。

上周二发表在《英国运动医学杂志》的这项研究指出，这项简单的平衡测试也许很适合被纳入中老年人的常规体能测试。

研究指出，尽管衰老会导致体能、肌肉力量和灵活性下降，但是良好的平衡力通常会保持到50多岁，之后平衡力就会快速下降。先前的研究指出，无法单腿站立意味着跌倒及认知衰退的风险增大。

该研究涵盖了1702名年龄在51岁到75岁之间的巴西居民，他们被要求在初次测试中完全靠自己单腿站立。研究人员让参与者把不沾地的那只脚的脚面放在站立的那条腿后面，把两只手臂放在身体两侧，双目直视前方。最多有三次尝试机会，任何一只脚站立都可以。

该研究的作者、来自巴西里约热内卢运动医学诊所CLINIMEX的克劳迪奥•吉尔•阿劳若博士称，单腿站立的平衡能力对于中老年人很重要，原因是多方面的，而且单腿站立能力还能反映出总体的健康水平。

研究参与者的平均年龄为61岁，其中三分之二为男性。约五分之一的参与者在初次测试中未能单腿站立10秒钟。

研究人员在初次测试后监测这些参与者长达七年，在此期间有123人（7%）离开人世。未能完成测试者（17.5%）的死亡率明显高于那些能单腿站立10秒钟的人

（4.5%）。

研究发现，未能完成平衡测试的人死于任何因素的风险比其他人高出84%，即使将年龄、性别、身体质量指数以及冠心病、高血压、肥胖、高胆固醇和糖尿病等原有疾病或健康风险之类的其他因素考虑在内，二者仍然存在关联。

这项研究是观察性的，没有揭示因果关系。该研究没有探究任何可能解释平衡力不佳和寿命之间联系的生理机制。

(chinadaily.com.cn)