Longevity Predictor?

Sitting-Rising Test
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

A simple test that looks at how easy -- or difficult -- it is for you to sit down on the floor and then get back up may help predict how long you’re going to live, a new study shows.

Middle-aged and elderly people who needed to use both hands and knees to get up and down were almost seven times more likely to die within six years, compared to those who could spring up and down without support, Brazilian researchers reported [December 13, 2012] in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

The researchers followed 2002 adults aged 51 to 80 for an average of 6.3 years... At the outset, each study volunteer was asked to sit down on the floor and then get up, using the least amount of support from hands, knees and other body parts.

In general, the researchers found that poorer sitting-rising test performance was associated with higher mortality over the study period.

A video (with English subtitles) describes how participants were scored. And yes, it is actually possible to get up from the floor without using at least one knee!

Posted by Note Taker