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.

一項新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，中老年人如果無法單腿 站立10秒鐘，未來十年內(nèi)由任何因素導致的死 亡風險將會翻番。

6 月 21 日發(fā)表在《英國運動醫(yī)學雜志》的 這項研究指出，這項簡單的平衡測試也許很適 合被納入中老年人的常規(guī)體能測試。

研究指出，盡管衰老會導致體能、肌肉力 量和靈活性下降，但是良好的平衡力通常會保 持到50多歲，之后平衡力就會快速下降。先前 的研究指出，無法單腿站立意味著跌倒及認知 衰退的風險增大。

該研究涵蓋了1702名年齡在51歲到75歲 之間的巴西居民，他們被要求在初次測試中完 全靠自己單腿站立。研究人員讓參與者把不 沾地的那只腳的腳面放在站立的那條腿后面， 把兩只手臂放在身體兩側(cè)，雙目直視前方。最 多有三次嘗試機會，任何一只腳站立都可以。

該研究的作者、來自巴西里約熱內(nèi)盧運動 醫(yī)學診所CLINIMEX 的克勞迪奧·吉爾·阿勞 若博士稱，單腿站立的平衡能力對于中老年人 很重要，原因是多方面的，而且單腿站立能力 90 還能反映出總體的健康水平。

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.

研究參與者的平均年齡為61歲，其中三 分之二為男性。約五分之一的參與者在初 次測試中未能單腿站立10秒鐘。

研究人員在初次測試后監(jiān)測這些參與 者長達七年，在此期間有123人（7%）離開人 世。未能完成測試者（17.5%）的死亡率明顯 高于那些能單腿站立10秒鐘的人（4.5%）。

研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，未能完成平衡測試的人死于 任何因素的風險比其他人高出84%，即使將 年齡、性別、身體質(zhì)量指數(shù)以及冠心病、高血 壓、肥胖、高膽固醇和糖尿病等原有疾病或 健康風險之類的其他因素考慮在內(nèi)，二者仍 然存在關(guān)聯(lián)。

這項研究是觀察性的，沒有揭示因果關(guān) 系。該研究沒有探究任何可能解釋平衡力 不佳和壽命之間聯(lián)系的生理機制。

研究指出，總體來看，那些未能通過測 試的人健康狀況更差，其中患有肥胖和/或 心臟病、高血壓、高血脂的比例更大。未能 完成測試者當中患有2型糖尿病的情況也更 普遍。

該研究是在2009年至2020年期間開展 的，是始于1994年的一個更廣泛的研究項目 的一部分。

未能完成平衡測試的情況隨著年齡增 長而增多，51歲到55歲及以上年齡段在隨后 五年間做不到的人數(shù)幾乎翻倍。超半數(shù)（約 54%）年齡在71歲到75歲之間的研究參與者 未能完成測試，相比之下，年齡最小的參與 者只有5%做不到。