A Simple 'Flamingo Test' can Predict the Risk of Early Death

A study found that people who can't balance on one leg are twice as likely to die early as those who can.

According to Brazilian researchers who assessed 2,000 people aged 50 to 75, those who couldn't stand on one leg for 10 seconds were 84% more likely to die within a decade than those who succeeded.

People with poorer health may show up on the 'simple and safe' balance test - with those who struggle to complete the activity more prone to suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Though parameters like aerobic fitness, flexibility, agility, and muscle strength start diminishing early on, the balance remains well preserved until the person is in his sixties, and then it starts diminishing. Because of the lack of a standardized test to measure balance, it is not usually a part of routine check-ups of the elderly. This is why not much data was available for the team to analyze, that’s why they used the results of an earlier study that began in 1994 and recruited 1,702 people in Brazil who underwent various fitness tests, including standing on one leg for 10 seconds without any support.

Those who were unable to stand unsupported on one leg for 10 sec were 84% more likely to die from any cause within a decade regardless of age, gender, or underlying health conditions.

Those who failed the test tended to be in poorer health as well. More than half of them were obese and had heart disease, high blood pressure, and unhealthy blood fat profiles. They were also three times more likely to have type 2 diabetes. Because all the participants were white Brazilians, the findings may not apply to other ethnicities and nations.

In routine medical check-ups, the 'flamingo test' could provide 'useful information' regarding older people's risk of death, the study suggests.