How is your sense of balance?
Have you heard of the “flamingo balance test?” The test was used in scientific research designed to determine the connection between balance and health. Doctors think it should be included in routine health checks for older patients.
According to a Brazilian study that began in 2008 with 1,700 people between 51 and 75, the results reported last month indicated that individuals who could not stand on one leg for 10 seconds had a higher rate of dying in the next seven years. For the study, participants had to meet certain weight, waist size and body fat measurement requirements, and be able to walk steadily. They were asked to stand for 10 seconds on one straight leg with the other leg bent, and its foot resting on the inside of the straight leg’s calf, without using any support. One in five failed after three attempts.
The raw data showed three times as many deaths among those who could not balance on one leg for 10 seconds compared to those who could. Adjusted for age, weight, sex and ill health, the death rate was still nearly double with an 84 percent higher risk of dying among those who couldn’t balance on one leg. With additional research, could standing like a flamingo become a reliable test for longevity?