Doctors discovered a link between balance and longevity.

Posted 06/22/2022 06:00

The study, based in Brazil and with international implications, found that imbalance was linked to poor health. Examining this article, Carioca Claudio Gil Araújo – an exercise and sports physician and director of research and education at the Clinimex Exercise Medicine (Clinimex) – concluded that people need to be balanced on one leg for 10 seconds. Disability The risk of dying from any cause can quadruple within seven years between the ages of 51 and 75. Araújo et al. The study was published yesterday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

“We tested this basis and compared our results with vital patient data,” the study’s lead author told Courier. The intention was to confirm the connection between the static balance and the risk of death. Since 1994, 10,000 people have been referred to Clinimex – a private clinic specializing in exercise and sports medicine, located in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro.

In those 28 years, experts have focused on a large sample in the age group of 6 to 102 years. Two-thirds of the sample consisted of men, with very different medical and physical conditions. “We look at high-performance athletes from very sick people, in post-heart transplantation. It makes our group (sample) quite unique,” Araujo said.

Researchers focused on aerobic and non-aerobic fitness – muscle strength and power, flexibility, balance, and body composition. One of the instruments used in the diagnosis was a test developed by Araújo’s team in the 1990s, called the Setting Rising Test. “We have published a study which shows that poor standing-to-sit scores were associated with higher mortality. Now, we are starting to analyze it by component. Our latest study found static balance. Reviewed, “said Araujo. This component is generally well preserved between the ages of 50 and 60, when it begins to decline rapidly.

Side dish

In the new study, subjects aged 51 to 75 years were selected who underwent a very extensive evaluation under the supervision of four clinicians. The purpose of the follow-up was to enhance the quality control of the study. “We did a very sophisticated statistical analysis on this age group, in collaboration with colleagues Saturn Contour (University of Bristol, UK), Jerry Lacann (University of Geoscila, Finland) and Jonathan Myers (Stanford University, USA). Warned that any association studies. It does not include cause and effect, it is worth noting that there is a strong link, although we can not prove that a lack of balance leads to death “, Araujo Said.

Since 2008, Clinimex scientists have applied the 10-second Unipedal Balance Test (see photo) to at least 4,000 people. Since then, they have found that among those who could not complete the test without neurological disorders or gate disorders, the youngest was 38 years old, while the oldest was She was 91 years old.

According to the lead author, the simultaneous presence of type 2 diabetes was one of the variables that made it difficult for individuals to maintain balance on one foot for 10 seconds. “Diabetes is a disease that affects the nervous system. It affects both the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. Therefore, it is possible that a person is not yet showing a clear picture of nerve damage. But that could mean he can no longer balance himself so easily, “said Araujo.

The scientists found that between seven years of follow-up, the death rate among those who failed the test was almost four times higher: 17.5 percent, compared to 4.6 percent who completed it. When doctors adjusted the survey to factors that could confuse the results – obesity, high body mass index, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels – they found that those who did not complete the test died. The probability was 84%. Great

Tests for “prediction” of diseases

During a 10-second unipodal balance test, scientists asked subjects to balance one foot and place the other on the back of the other leg. They had to keep their arms in line, around them, looking straight ahead. Patients were instructed to stay in position for 10 seconds for each foot. If a person succeeds in completing the time with any foot in this position, the scientists consider the test to be complete or over.

Two questions for …

Claudio Gil Araújo, Exercise and Sports Physician, Director of Research and Education at the Exercise Medicine Clinic (Clinimex) and author of the study

Why do people who do not have balance on one foot have a higher risk of death?

There are many explanations for this, and we are probably not sure about any of them. In my opinion, people who are not physically fit are usually associated with poor health outcomes. This includes deaths from heart disease, cancer, etc. These people exercise less and are more prone to diseases, including neurological disorders, which upset the balance. And an effective balance, among other things, increases the risk of falling, which is a very important factor in causing illness and death, especially in the age group of 70-80 years.

What is the probability of this test for health assessment purposes?

We think it should be included in the test of people who pass the health examination from the age of 50. It’s simple, doesn’t cost money, has quick results and easy to understand results. For example, the proportion of people under the age of 70 should be higher than those who are able to stand on one foot for more than 10 seconds. People over the age of 70, if they are balanced on one foot, will be profitable. 70 years is the dividing age for test answers.