Wobbly On One Leg？Ability To Balance Is Linked To A Longer Life，Study Finds

肖威

An inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds in later life is linked to nearly double the risk of death from any cause within the next decade，according to a new study.

The simple balance test may be useful to include in routine physical exams for people in middle and old age，the research，which was published on June 21 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine，suggested.

While aging leads to a decline in physical fitness， muscle strength and flexibility， balance tends to be reasonably well-preserved until a persons 50s，when it starts to wane relatively rapidly， the research noted. Previous research has linked the inability to stand on one leg to a greater risk of falls and to cognitive decline.

The study involved 1，702 people ages 51 to 75 living in Brazil，who were asked to balance unsupported on one leg during an initial check. Researchers told the participants to place the front of the free foot behind the standing leg，keep their arms by their sides and eyes fixed straight ahead. Up to three attempts on either foot were permitted.

Being able to balance on one leg is important for older people for a number of reasons，and it is also reflective of wider fitness and health levels，said study author Dr. Claudio Gil Araújo at Exercise Medicine Clinic — CLINIMEX — Rio de Janeiro，Brazil.

一項新研究发现，中老年人如果无法单腿 站立10秒钟，未来十年内由任何因素导致的死 亡风险将会翻番。

6 月 21 日发表在《英国运动医学杂志》的 这项研究指出，这项简单的平衡测试也许很适 合被纳入中老年人的常规体能测试。

研究指出，尽管衰老会导致体能、肌肉力 量和灵活性下降，但是良好的平衡力通常会保 持到50多岁，之后平衡力就会快速下降。先前 的研究指出，无法单腿站立意味着跌倒及认知 衰退的风险增大。

该研究涵盖了1702名年龄在51岁到75岁 之间的巴西居民，他们被要求在初次测试中完 全靠自己单腿站立。研究人员让参与者把不 沾地的那只脚的脚面放在站立的那条腿后面， 把两只手臂放在身体两侧，双目直视前方。最 多有三次尝试机会，任何一只脚站立都可以。

该研究的作者、来自巴西里约热内卢运动 医学诊所CLINIMEX 的克劳迪奥·吉尔·阿劳 若博士称，单腿站立的平衡能力对于中老年人 很重要，原因是多方面的，而且单腿站立能力 90 还能反映出总体的健康水平。

The study participants had an average age of 61 and twothirds of them were men. Around 1 in 5 failed to balance on one leg for 10 seconds at the initial checkup.

Researchers monitored the participants after the initial checkup for a period of seven years，during which 123 — 7% — of the people being studied died. The proportion of deaths among those who failed the test （17.5 % ） was significantly higher than deaths among those who were able to balance for 10 seconds（4.5%）.

The study found that for those unable to complete the balance test there was an 84% higher risk of death from any cause，and this link remained even when other factors — including age，sex，BMI，and preexisting conditions or health risks such as coronary artery disease，hypertension，obesity， high cholesterol and diabetes — were taken into account.

The research was observational and doesnt reveal cause and effect. The study didnt look at any possible biological mechanisms that might explain the link between poor balance and longevity.

In general，those who failed the test had poorer health and included a higher proportion of people who were obese and/or had heart disease，high blood pressure，and unhealthy blood fat profiles，according to the study. Type 2 diabetes was also more common among those who failed to complete the test.

The study took place between 2009 and 2020 and was part of wider research project that started in 1994.

The inability to complete the balance test rose with age， more or less doubling at subsequent 5- year intervals from the age range of 51 to 55 and onward. More than half（around 54%） of study participants ages 71 to 75 were unable to complete the test，compared with 5% in the lowest age bracket who couldnt do it.

研究參与者的平均年龄为61岁，其中三 分之二为男性。约五分之一的参与者在初 次测试中未能单腿站立10秒钟。

研究人员在初次测试后监测这些参与 者长达七年，在此期间有123人（7%）离开人 世。未能完成测试者（17.5%）的死亡率明显 高于那些能单腿站立10秒钟的人（4.5%）。

研究发现，未能完成平衡测试的人死于 任何因素的风险比其他人高出84%，即使将 年龄、性别、身体质量指数以及冠心病、高血 压、肥胖、高胆固醇和糖尿病等原有疾病或 健康风险之类的其他因素考虑在内，二者仍 然存在关联。

这项研究是观察性的，没有揭示因果关 系。该研究没有探究任何可能解释平衡力 不佳和寿命之间联系的生理机制。

研究指出，总体来看，那些未能通过测 试的人健康状况更差，其中患有肥胖和/或 心脏病、高血压、高血脂的比例更大。未能 完成测试者当中患有2型糖尿病的情况也更 普遍。

该研究是在2009年至2020年期间开展 的，是始于1994年的一个更广泛的研究项目 的一部分。

未能完成平衡测试的情况随着年龄增 长而增多，51岁到55岁及以上年龄段在随后 五年间做不到的人数几乎翻倍。超半数（约 54%）年龄在71岁到75岁之间的研究参与者 未能完成测试，相比之下，年龄最小的参与 者只有5%做不到。