30-second chair test could show if you are at risk of early death
This simple test was found to be a good indicator of healthy ageing
A simple 30-second test could predict your risk of an “early” death. According to a new study, your sit-to-stand power is a good indicator of health in older age.
In the context of this research, this refers to how many times you’re able to get up and down from a chair in 30 seconds. People who did this fewer times had a substantially greater likelihood of dying from any cause compared to others.
As part of the study, which was published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, a team monitored 1,876 adults aged 65 and above, measured their physical power through a 30-second sit-to-stand assessment using just a chair and a stopwatch. Participants rose from sitting and returned to seated position as many times as achievable within 30 seconds.
A calculation then transformed those repetitions, alongside each individual's height, body weight and chair height, into a power measurement expressed in watts per kilogram of body weight. Researchers found that those with poor "sit-to-stand power" faced a greater likelihood of dying from any cause throughout the monitoring period when compared with those displaying normal levels.
Further to this, women recording low scores were approximately twice as likely to die, while men encountered around a 57% elevated risk.
As reported by Study Finds, scientists applied previously determined threshold scores to divide participants into two categories: those with low sit-to-stand power and those with normal levels. For men, the benchmark stood at 2.53 watts per kilogram of body weight; for women, it was 2.01 watts per kilogram.
More than half the study participants, roughly 57%, registered below those benchmarks. This is far from a minor issue affecting a small section of society. Low muscle power impacts more than 45% of adults aged 65 and older, making it considerably more widespread than age-related muscle loss, which is estimated to affect between 10% and 16% of older adults.
Link to bone health
Through the trial, the team noted that low power was associated with a difference in bone fracture risk in men compared to women. For women, the greatest risk centred on hip fractures - among the most severe and life-changing injuries an older person can endure.
Women with low sit-to-stand power were 3.25 times more likely to have reported a hip fracture in the previous year compared to women with normal power levels. Among women with low power, 4.5% had suffered a hip fracture in the past year, versus just 1% of those with normal power.
However, in men, low power was associated with a recent history of falls generally and fractures across the entire body, rather than hip fractures in particular. Men with low power were 73% more likely to have reported a fall in the previous year and 86% more likely to have reported any type of fracture.
It was theorised that this was due to hormonal changes women experience following the menopause, which causes a more rapid decline in bone density due to hormonal changes, leaving the hip area particularly susceptible after a fall. In men, fractures appear to be distributed more broadly across various parts of the body rather than concentrated in a single region.
Concluding, study authors wrote: “Low relative sit-to-stand (STS) power was associated with history of hip fractures in women, whereas in men it was associated with history of falls and all-type fractures. Low relative STS power predicted hospitalisations in women but not in men. In both men and women, low relative STS power was associated with longer hospital stays and increased risk of all-cause mortality.”
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Other research
This is not the first time the ability to stand from sitting has been tested as a predictor of healthy ageing. One study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology in 2012, found that how easily you can sit and rise from the floor is predictive of how long you might live.
As part of the Brazilian study, 2,002 adults aged between 51 and 80 were followed for an average of six years. It found those who had to use both hands and knees to get up and down -regardless of age - were almost seven times more likely to die within six years than those who could spring up and down without support.
This was because their musculoskeletal fitness, as measured by the test, was “lacking”. To carry out this test:
- Sit on the floor from a standing position without using your hands, arms, or knees to slow your descent
- Then stand back up without using your hands, arms, or knees to help if possible
- If you’re finding it difficult, crossing your legs on the way down and the way up can help, and loosely holding your arms out to your sides aids balance
How to stay strong
The NHS recommends strength and flexibility exercises to help you increase muscle strength, maintain bone density, improve balance and reduce joint pain. It therefore advises taking part in these exercises at least twice a week:
- Lifting weights
- Working with resistance bands
- Heavy gardening, such as digging and shovelling
- Climbing stairs
- Hill walking
- Cycling
- Dance
- Push-ups, sit-ups and squats
- Yoga
The health body also recommends 150 minutes of cardio exercise a week.
