If you can't balance yourself on one leg for at least 20 seconds, you may have an increased risk of suffering from a stroke or developing dementia, according to a new Japanese study.
Researchers at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine in Kyoto, Japan analyzed 841 women and 546 men - an average age of 67 - for the brain health test. The participants were asked to stand on one leg for a maximum of 60 seconds with their eyes open, and then repeated the exercise for a second time. Researchers considered the longest time for the study and compared it to the brain health of the participants, who were then evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging.
The findings revealed that those who couldn't balance on one leg for longer than 20 seconds had lesions and microbleeds on different areas of their brains. Researchers also found that the same participants got low scores in cognitive assessments compared to those who stood on one leg for more than 20 seconds. One-third of them also had small strokes at least once.
"Our study found that the ability to balance on one leg is an important test for brain health," Dr. Yasuharu Tabara, lead study author and associate professor at the Center for Genomic Medicine at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, said in a news release. "Individuals showing poor balance on one leg should receive increased attention, as this may indicate an increased risk for brain disease and cognitive decline."
Dr. Richard Libman, chief of vascular neurology at North Shore-LIJ Health System in Manhasset, N.Y., agreed with the findings of the study and commended the researchers for coming up with a simple test. He was not part of the study.
"The authors of this study have devised a simple test of balance, which seems to be able to reflect 'small vessel disease' of the brain," Libman said to HealthDay News. "This test may be an inexpensive, low-tech method to screen people for small vessel disease who are most likely at risk for further strokes and brain damage."
This study was published in the Dec. 18 issue of the journal Stroke.
