While this finding may sound suspiciously like a spammy chain email from the early years, there is obviously some truth to it, although it has not yet been conclusively proven. According to the study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, people who could not keep their balance for 10 seconds were associated with higher mortality from any cause, leading researchers to ask for the balance test to be included in routine health checks. . The study was the first of its kind to be conducted over a 12-year period – with 1,702 people aged 51 to 75 watching from 2008 to 2020. Participants were asked to hold the front of one foot while holding the other. their hands to the side and looking straight ahead. They were allowed up to three attempts with both feet. “After calculating age, gender and underlying conditions, the inability to stand without support on one leg for 10 seconds was associated with an 84% increased risk of death from any cause,” the Guardian reported. The results showed that 123 people died in the following years and 21% of participants failed the balance test. About The Swaddle: The health effects of slouching range from acidity to low sexual drive While this study is said to be the first to examine the relationship between balance and mortality in detail, it adds weight to previous research on how balance is an indicator of good health in general. In addition, experts have suggested in the past that exercising balance can be good for us. “Every time you practice one-legged position, it is an opportunity to re-calibrate your brain, making new connections and enhancing coordination between your ears, eyes, joints and muscles,” said Dr. Michael Mosley, MD a health writer, he told the BBC. Mosley added that in the 1990s, researchers conducted three tests on 2,760 people in their 50s – holding them, how many times they could stand up for a minute and balancing on one leg with their eyes closed. The balance test came out on top as the strongest predictor of health – 13 years after the experiment, those who could not balance for more than two seconds were three times more likely to have died. In addition, improving balance in this way is also associated with fewer falls – which, in turn, are associated with higher mortality rates. There is a fascinating simplicity to the idea – more balance, literally, leads to a better quality of life – and, perhaps, even greater.
