The heron pose proved to be a reliable indicator of age-related changes.

Life expectancy is increasing worldwide, but aging is known to be accompanied by a decline in muscle strength and other aspects of physical fitness. Age-related deterioration in flexibility, coordination, and other fitness indicators raises the risk of unintentional falls, which can lead to serious injuries and premature death among older adults.

This is why healthcare professionals continue to search for effective methods to detect age-related degradation in a timely manner and intervene in the process. Numerous scientific studies have focused on this topic. In one study, low body flexibility was linked to an increased risk of premature death. In another, specialists found that balance tests can predict a person's life expectancy: volunteers who could not stand on one leg for 10 seconds had an 84% higher likelihood of dying from any cause over an average period of seven years.

In a new experiment conducted by staff at the Mayo Clinic (Minnesota, USA) in collaboration with colleagues from Taiwan, researchers compared older adults' ability to maintain balance with other neuromuscular parameters, such as grip strength, knee extension strength, and walking speed.

The study involved 40 individuals over the age of 50: 20 were younger than 65, while the others had surpassed that threshold. The age of the oldest volunteers exceeded 80 years. Individuals with obesity (body mass index over 35), spinal pathologies, neuromuscular disorders, and difficulties in daily activities were excluded from the experiment.

Participants performed a series of exercises to assess the studied parameters. Upon analyzing the results, scientists discovered that all parameters deteriorated with increasing age of the subjects, but the ability to stand on one leg declined the fastest.

The time a person could maintain balance decreased by 2.2 seconds on the non-dominant leg and 1.7 seconds on the dominant leg over a decade, for both men and women. During the same 10 years, grip strength in the dominant hand decreased by 3.7%, while knee extension strength decreased by 1.4%. Notably, both indicators were higher in men than in women.

Researchers deemed walking to be a rather poor indicator of neuromuscular aging, as changes in its characteristics with participants' age correlated weakly.

The researchers concluded that the duration of maintaining balance on one leg for men and women is the most reliable indicator of aging, surpassing the other parameters examined.

In a comment to CNN, one of the study's authors, Dr. Kenton Kaufman, stated that good balance in older adults enhances their quality of life and contributes to healthy aging. He also recommended that younger individuals train their balance skills, as this will help maintain it better in old age.

Among the study's limitations, it is worth noting the relatively small sample size and the use of a cross-sectional method, where the experiment is conducted once with participants of varying ages. A longitudinal approach, where participants are monitored over several years, is considered more preferable for studying age-related changes.