According to new research from the Mayo Clinic, standing on one leg could tell people something about their overall health—and, apparently, their age.
A new study published Wednesday, Oct. 23 in the journal PLOS One found that how long someone can stand with only one foot on the ground is a better measure of aging than changes in strength or gait (a person’s walking pattern).
In the study, 40 healthy adults over the age of 50 – half of whom were over the age of 65 – participated in tests of walking, balance, grip strength and knee strength.
For their balance tests, they were tasked with remaining stable in different circumstances while standing on plates: on two legs with their eyes open and then closed, and then on the non-dominant leg and also on the dominant leg, each with their eyes open.
As the researchers found, according to the Mayo Clinic, how long someone maintained balance while standing on the non-dominant leg showed “the greatest rate of decline with age.”
Photo of a woman standing on one leg.
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The research showed that the duration of standing on one leg decreased at a rate of 2.2 seconds per decade with the non-dominant leg, while it did so at a rate of 1.7 seconds per decade with the dominant leg. This is true for both men and women, according to the study.
Senior author Kenton Kaufman said in a statement shared by the Mayo Clinic that balance is an “important measure” because it takes muscle strength into account and also “requires inputs from the visual, vestibular and somatosensory systems.”
“The changes in balance are noteworthy,” he said. “If you have poor balance, you are at risk of falling, whether you are moving or not. Falls are a serious health risk with serious consequences.”
According to the National Institute on Aging, falls are the leading cause of injury in older adults, with one in four people over the age of 65 falling each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that approximately 3 million older adults visit the emergency room annually for falls, and one million are hospitalized.
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Speaking to CNN, Kaufman said good balance “provides the ability to perform activities” of daily life, “without fear of falling.” This, he said, “leads to improved quality of life and healthy aging.”
As AARP noted, a previous study led by Duke Health researchers found that adults in their 30s and 40s could balance on one leg for about a minute, those in their 50s for 45 seconds, and adults in their 70s for 26 seconds. As Kaufman told the paper, those over the age of 65 who can balance on one leg for 30 seconds would be “pretty good,” and the cause for concern is “if you can’t balance for five seconds.”
He added that he stands on one leg at least once a week — a process others can do to practice maintaining proper balance. “A little exercise won’t hurt, either,” he told AARP. “It’s easy to do. It requires no special equipment and you can do it every day.”
Speaking to CNN, Dr. Anat Lubetzky, who was not involved in the study, said that balancing on one leg alone cannot “solve all balance problems and fall risk” and that “all aspects of balance — static, dynamic and overall strength” should be taken into account.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education