Failing to balance on one leg for at least 20 seconds could be a warning sign of a stroke or, in the longer term, the appearance of Alzheimer’s disease. According to researchers at Kyoto University in Japan, this lack of balance is indeed an indicator of micro-bleeding in the brain.
“People who show poor balance on one leg should receive more attention as this may indicate an increased risk of brain disease and cognitive decline,” said Dr Yasuharu Tabara, who led the research, published in the stroke medical journal.
The test: keep the leg lifted for a maximum of one minute
For this study, the researchers studied 841 women and 546 men with an average age of 67 years. They were asked to keep their eyes open and one leg raised for a maximum of 60 seconds.
Participants performed this test twice and the best of the two times was used for analysis.
They then underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess possible damage to small cerebral vessels, which can affect blood flow in the brain. The MRI showed that the 34.5% who had lesions on the small vessels were also those who had the most difficulty keeping their balance. “Standing on one leg is a simple measure of postural instability which is a sign of certain instabilities in the brain that can generate a form of dementia like Alzheimer’s disease,” insisted Dr Tabara.
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