Standing on one leg for 20 seconds can predict whether you are prone to stroke and dementia

According to a British media report, a new Japanese study found that if middle-aged and elderly people cannot stand on one leg for more than 20 seconds, they are more likely to suffer from stroke and dementia in the future.

Scientists tested 841 women and 546 men with an average age of 67. The subjects were asked to open their eyes wide and stand on one leg for 60 seconds. Then, they repeated the action twice. The two best results were used for analysis. The researchers also gave the subjects magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to assess their levels of small vessel disease in the brain, which can interfere with blood flow to the brain.

The findings, published in the journal Stroke, showed that 34.5 percent of participants with multiple lacunar infarcts had poor balance. This result applied to 16% of subjects with a single lacunar infarction and 30% of subjects with cerebral microbleeds.

"Our study shows that the ability to balance on one leg is an important test of brain health," said lead researcher Yasuharu Tahara of Kyoto University.

Tabara, MD, PhD, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, said that the time to stand on one leg is a simple measure of loss of postural reflexes, and if an individual's ability to stand on one leg is poor, it should be a cause of concern because it may be the result of a brain abnormality, indicating brain disease and an increased risk of cognitive decline.

Although this brain damage is small and does not cause any symptoms at present, it can cause big problems over time. Silent stroke, also known as lacunar infarction, increases the risk of systemic stroke and dementia.

Earlier this year, researchers from the UK Medical Research Council found that standing on one leg could predict the risk of early death in middle-aged people. A 53-year-old man who can stand on one leg for at least 10 seconds and sit down and stand up from a chair more than 37 times in a minute has a lower risk of early death. For women of the same age, the standard is to sit up more than 35 times in a minute and stand on one leg for ten seconds.