A study conducted by researchers in Brazil, with the help of scientists from the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Finland, found that the inability to stand on one leg for ten seconds in people over 50 is linked to risk of death increased by two in the next ten years.
The results of the research were published this Wednesday (22) in the scientific journal British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Unlike the ability to perform aerobic exercises, such as walking, running, swimming, cycling or dancing, in addition to greater muscle strength and flexibility, being able to maintain balance tends to be well preserved until the age of 60, when this ability begins to decrease relatively. fast.
The analysis relied on data from 1,702 Brazilian participants aged between 51 and 75 years (mean age 61) at their first check-up between February 2009 and December 2020. About two-thirds of the volunteers (68%) were men.
The information included data on weight, skinfold measurements and waist size.
procedures
Volunteers were asked to stand on one leg for ten seconds without any support. The activity was part of the check-up.
To improve test standardization, the researchers also asked participants to place the front of their free foot on the back of the opposite leg, keeping their arms at their sides and their gaze fixed ahead. Up to three attempts on each foot were allowed. See the image:
The results showed that about one in five participants failed the test – 348 volunteers. According to research, the inability to perform the activity increased in tandem with age, nearly doubling at subsequent five-year intervals from ages 51-55.
In terms of age, nearly 5% of those aged 51 to 55 failed to take the test. About 8% of people aged 56 to 60 were also unable to stand for ten seconds on one foot. And just under 18% among volunteers aged 61 to 65. In relation to the group between 66 and 70 years old, just under 37% of the participants did not complete the activity.
In older people aged 71 to 75, more than half (about 54%) failed to complete the test.
According to the researchers, “people in this age group were more than 11 times more likely to fail the test than those just 20 years younger,” they wrote.
incidence of death
During an average follow-up period of seven years, 123 (7%) people died: 32% were victims of cancer; 30% died from cardiovascular disease; 9% due to respiratory disease and 7% due to complications from Covid-19.
The study also found that the proportion of deaths among those who failed the test was significantly higher compared to those who managed to finish: 17.5% to 4.5%, reflecting an absolute difference of just under 13%.
In a press release, Claudio Gil Araújo, from the Clinimex exercise medicine clinic, who led the research, said, “The ten-second balance test provides quick and objective feedback to the patient and healthcare professionals regarding static balance. and that the test adds useful information about mortality risk among elderly women and men”.
In general, the study says, those who failed the test were in poorer health: a greater proportion were obese or had heart disease, high blood pressure and unhealthy blood fat profiles.
After taking into account issues such as age, sex and underlying conditions [de saúde]the inability to stand without support on one leg for ten seconds was associated with an 84% increased risk of death from any cause over the next decade.
According to the researchers, the study is observational and therefore cannot establish a relationship between the cause of the inability to perform the test and the risk of death.
“As the participants were all white Brazilians, the findings may not be more broadly applicable to other ethnicities and nations,” the researchers warn.
Still, scientists believe balance testing can be included in routine health checkups to assess the health of older adults.
Source: CNN Brasil
