The 10-second fitness test you can do at home to predict your lifespan

If you can’t stand up without needing help, you’re more likely to die in the next 10 years, a study suggests. 

Researchers in Brazil gave over 4,000 adults a flexibility test to lower themselves on to the floor from a standing position and then get back up. 

They were asked to do so with as little assistance as possible, such as using their hands, furniture or other people around them for balance. 

Participants were then scored on a scale of zero to five for both sitting down and standing up, starting with five points and then losing one for each type of support needed.

The team found people who needed no help to sit down or stand up were six times less likely to die of heart disease or other cardiac issues within the next decade than those who wobbled or had more trouble. 

And each one-point decline in score was associated with a one-third greater chance of dying of heart disease or other natural causes like cancer. 

The test may be a good approximation because muscle strength and flexibility are thought to lower blood pressure and resting heart rate and reduce full-body inflammation, which can lower the risk of heart disease. 

Researchers said while other studies have used balance and flexibility tests to measure longevity, the new study is the first to measure ‘muscle strength/power, flexibility, balance and body composition’ all at once.

Claudio Gil Araujo, lead study author and research director at an exercise-medicine clinic in Rio de Janeiro, where the data was collected, told the Washington Post: ‘What makes this test special is that it looks at all of them at once, which is why we think it can be such a strong predictor.’

The researchers looked at 4,282 adults in Brazil ages 46 to 75, two thirds of whom were men. The average age was 59. 

After 12 years on average, 15.5 percent of participants died of natural causes. Of those, 35 percent died of cardiovascular disease, 28 percent of cancer and 11 percent of respiratory diseases like pneumonia. 

At the outset of the research, each participant was asked to sit down from a standing position and then get back up after. 

They started with five points for each test and lost one point for every level of support they needed. This could include using their knees, holding on to a chair or taking someone’s hand.

Participants also lost half a point every time they lost their balance or seemed unsteady. 

Researchers then combined each person’s sitting and standing scores to get the final result, with a maximum of 10.  

People who scored zero to four points total had a six-fold increased chance of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who got a perfect 10.  

Half of those who scored a zero on the test to get up off the floor died during the follow-up period compared to four percent of those who got a perfect score, an 11-fold difference.

Additionally, participants who scored between 4.5 and 7.5 were two to three times more likely to die in the next decade from heart disease or other natural causes. 

Each one-point score decrease was associated with a 31 percent increased risk of cardiovascular death and 31 percent greater chance of death in the next decade from other natural causes. 

The researchers also found after adjusting for factors like age, sex and body mass index (BMI), people with a history of coronary artery disease were three times more likely to die from natural causes compared to healthy participants. 

There were several limitations to the study, however, including all of the participants being from a private clinic in Brazil, leading to a less diverse sample size. There was also no data on smoking status, a leading cause of death from heart disease and lung cancer. 

To try the test for yourself, Dr Araujo suggests finding a partner to score you and steady you if you start to fall. People with joint issues should avoid trying it due to the risk of unnecessary injury.

Clear space around you but ensure there is a wall, chair or other support object nearby. Remove your shoes and socks and consider putting a pad down on bare floors. 

Stand with your feet slightly apart and cross one foot in front of the other. Lower yourself until you are sitting on the ground and then stand back up, trying not to use support. 

While there was a correlation between the scores and mortality, it is important to visit a doctor to get a full picture of health, as well as risk factors for different diseases.