Simple 10-second test may be able to predict mortality risk, researchers say

A study conducted by researchers shows a quick test that allowed them to predict whether someone would die within the next ten years.

Whatever your age, being healthy is always a regular talking point.

Eat this, don’t eat that, do this, don’t do that - the world is full of advice and tips on the dos and dont’s.

But a research project, which was led by Exercise Medicine Clinic CLINIMEX in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that found that a quick test could help predict whether you are likely to die.

The test, which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, sees an individual balance on one leg for 10 seconds, while their other leg is tucked behind the other.

The research team found that those who were not able to successfully balance were 84 percent more likely to die compared to those that could.

From this, they concluded that those struggling to balance could be showing signs of muscle loss - leaving them more likely to have a risk of a fall.

But if you just tried the test yourself and failed, you might not need to worry just yet.

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The test was conducted with 1,700 participants in their 50s to 70s - at these age brackets, falls are more likely to be fatal.

Participants recruited for the study were 61-years-old on average, overweight and 68 percent were men.

A total of 348 of the participants, or one in five, could not do the balance challenge for the needed ten seconds.

After the test, participants were tracked for seven years on average over a period from 2009 to 2020, with a total of 4.6 percent of deaths among the group that could balance compared to 17.5 percent in the group that could not.

Dr. Claudio Gil Araujo

Expectedly, in the 51-to-55-years-old bracket, only 4.7 percent were not able to complete the task.

And among adults aged 70 and older, 53 percent could not complete it.

According to the study, heart disease and cancer were the most prevalent causes of death amongst those who participated - around 60 percent.

Physician Dr Claudio Araujo, who led the study, explained: “Aging is associated with a progressive decline in physical fitness and reductions or impairments in components of aerobic and non-aerobic fitness, including muscle strength, power, flexibility, balance and body composition.

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“It is also well established that the combination of sarcopenic obesity and loss of flexibility and balance are detrimental for overall health.

“[This places] older adults with frailty more prone to falls and other serious adverse medical [consequences].”

However, he adds that the exact reason why balance can predict someone's longevity is still not known.

According to a Harvard Health medical school report, people begin to lose as much as 3 to 5 percent per decade after age 30.

Less muscle means greater weakness and less mobility - both of which may increase your risk of falls and fractures.