If you can balance on one leg for 10 seconds, you’re more likely to live at least another decade

How long older adults can balance on one foot may predict their life expectancy.

A study published this month in the “British Journal of Sports Medicine” reports that people who failed a 10-second balance test of standing on one foot were nearly twice as likely to die in the next 10 years.

While the connection between balance and longevity is not clear, the study’s lead author, Dr. Claudio Gil Soares de Araújo, suspects it may be tied to frailty.

“Aged people falling are in very high risk of major fractures and other related complications," Araújo told NBC News. "This may play a role in the higher risk of mortality.”

The threat of falls is growing. A 2019 report found that the number of deaths from falls among Americans 75 years old and older increased from 8,613 a year in 2000 to 25,189 in 2016.

The latest research focused on 1,702 adults from ages 51 to 75, with an average age of 61. Researchers checked participants’ weight, waist size and measures of body fat. During their first checkups, participants were asked to stand on one leg for 10 seconds without holding onto anything to support themselves. They were asked to place the front of the uplifted food on the back of the weight bearing leg, while keeping their arms at their sides and their gaze fixed straight ahead.

One in five participants failed the test.

Researchers found that people who failed the test tended to be less healthy than those who passed. More were obese, had cardiovascular disease and unhealthy cholesterol levels. Diabetes was three times more common among people who failed the test as those who passed.

After accounting for age and risk factors, researchers found that the risk of death within 10 years was 1.84-fold higher in participants who failed the balance test.

The good news, Araújo told NBC, is that balance is something people can improve with work.

“It is never too late to improve balance by specific training,” Araújo said. “A couple of minutes a day — at home or in a gym could help a lot.” 

The study again demonstrates that people can take control over their own lifespans. Eating well to maintain a healthy weight and exercising to remain physically fit can help to lengthen your life and improve its quality. And, what this study and others before it demonstrate, it’s ever too late to get started.