Although not always easy, testing may help predict how many years a person will remain, according to athletic researchers who have tracked thousands of middle-aged and elderly people over a decade.
The sitting test requires adequate balance, muscle strength and flexibility, and is unable to sit on the floor without using your arms, hands or knees and then stand up again. According to a new report published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology on Wednesday, the movement is a way to determine non-anarobic fitness and uncover potential issues that may otherwise be missed.
The team at the Exercise Medicine Clinic in Rio de Janeiro recruited 4,282 adults, between 46 and 75 years of age, after assessing the health of the participants. The researchers presented the test.
Using a 5-point system from zero, participants scored a perfect score, sitting upright on the floor without touching anything along the way.
Each body part was used for balance, for example, hands or elbows or knees, so we subtracted one point from the total. People also lost half the points due to wobble. On the way back, if the limb touched anything, the points were deducted.
Twelve years later, the researchers followed up with the participants. By then, researchers found that a total of 665 deaths had been due to “natural causes.”
The majority of perfect scorers were still alive at follow-up, slightly more than nine out of ten people who lost two points, dramatically comparing them to less than half of the 0-4 people.
Among the participants who were first diagnosed with heart disease, those with a lower score on the test were more likely to have died on the 12 year mark.
Aerobic fitness is important, but muscle strength, healthy body mass index, or BMI, balance and flexibility are also essential for healthy aging. People can improve their deficits and score better on tests.
The study does not directly link perfect scores to longevity, but “it's very reasonable to expect this,” Araujo said.
New discoveries are part of the growing field of longevity. Other recent studies include balance tests. Those who couldn't stand 10 seconds per foot were almost twice as likely to die within 10 years of someone who could manage their balance.
Keith Diaz, a professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, said the new test could be a conversation starter for doctors to help patients think about what it takes to healthy aging.
If someone scores poorly, “you might be able to let them start their flexibility and balance efforts,” Diaz said. “If patients are struggling to get off the floor, it could be a red flag for their overall health.”
Dr. Joseph Herrera, chairman of the Rehabilitation and Human Performance Department at Mount Sinai Health System, warned that there are ways to improve if anyone can't stand up and sit without help.
Weight training, balance training and increased flexibility can help.
Other tests that have become increasingly popular include a six-minute walk, according to Herrera. Then, the patient is asked to sit on a chair, and after standing, the patient gets up from the chair, they sit again five times in 30 seconds.
“The results of these tests need to be considered as a piece of puzzle,” he said.
