Forget needles, x-rays and treadmills. A new “test” that seems completely bizarre in its simplicity is all the rage now in determining how long you have to live.
Not sure if you did this test the last time you applied to an increase your life insurance? You’d surely remember this…
Researchers in Brazil have taken the notion of “come and sit a spell” to a whole other level recently.
They were studying predictors to longevity, but in a completely unexpected way.
They studied the ability of a person to go from a standing position, to a sitting position on the floor, and back to a standing position. Seems simple enough, but the results were anything but simple. And speed wasn’t even a factor.
What they found was that people who needed the most help and support going from standing to floor to standing again were the most likely to die within the next five years.
Support counts as not only holding on to furniture on the way down or back up, but also using the floor or even a hand on the knee to brace oneself.
The factors that influenced the risk of dying included how likely a person would be to be able to pick things- like pills- up off the floor if they were dropped, or even being able to exercise- a critical piece in defeating arthritis, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol.
So the next time you go see your doctor and he or she tells you to have a seat…make sure you know where they’re asking you to sit.
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I’m not sure how relevant this is for a test of longevity but my father from the age of sixty couldn’t sit on the floor or stand up without assistance. However he did garden activity almost all of his life, he could bend almost double and continue digging with a small implement for long periods of time. He preferred to sit rather than stand and if he could lay he would do that also. Now here’s your theory blown out of the water, he was almost never sick during his lifetime, except for the odd cold or flu symptoms, he never took any drugs (not even pharmaceuticals) but he did regularly take a herbal mixture “which still to this day remains a mystery to me” & he lived until he was 105 years young.
If the person eats properly, sleeps properly, does some sort of physical activity, reduces stress factors and exposure to toxins, as well as following some sort of spirituality – he or she will lead a long life.
Your dad gardened, and possibly ate fresh vegetables a lot, minus all the stuff they spray on them. So the exercise, fresh air/sunshine, plus the fresh veggies, probably helped him a lot! I don’t have a lot of faith in pharmaceutical drugs. They sometimes buy you time, but then you need to work on your health so you don’t need them. Long term, the side effects of many drugs will cause other problems, so it seems wise to try not to need them.
I think we all know people who lived a long time using a wheelchair or had knee/hip problems that would have kept them from getting up or down easily, but still lived a long time. This is one of those 'rule of thumb' things that doesn't necessarily fit everyone, but statistically, can be helpful to new docs trying to assess your health.
I have a 14% body fat ratio but i have bad knees from athletics so I don’t believe the test is relevant.
Hmm
What utter CRAP. Enough to make elderly folk anxious.
I know people in wheelchairs who just keep on living and enjoying life.
Sir/Madame,
One would have to give credit to the above comments.You need to give more definition to “help needed”.Has this theory been tested over a period of time and can you provide this evidence? I can go from standing to sitting position but use one hand to push off the floor to get back to a standing position. Does this meet the standard for longevity or am I doomed to be short lived?
The 'good book' the bible has said for millenia, three score and ten, or maybe, because of ones strong genetic family line eighty years. Nothing has proven itself more consistent in determining the life span of man than those well known words of scripture.
I agree that this is alarmist rubbish. I’ve had to brace myself for the past twenty years and I’m still going strong thanks all the same.
I’m going with Yael Gal – this person continues to write good sense. Do you have a regular blog?
Interesting test, do it yourself test…
Absolutely right. This test alone doesn’t tell without a doubt longevity. But it’s an interesting concept and maybe after applying some common sense it could be an indicator.
– Jodi
It’s interesting reading the comments. Everyone has an opinion, and that’s why medical doctors, chiropractors, osteopaths, naturopaths, and anyone in the medical field can still function. Do all tests pan out? NOPE. Do all tests reveal the right things? NOPE. Are all tests medical and otherwise necessary? NOPE. But I will say this. I don’t care. Yeah you can be in a wheelchair, doesn’t mean you have a quality of life. Yes you can be happy, but people are very resilient. Then again, some are not. But again, this is just Blue Herron sharing. Doesn’t mean it’s so. Doesn’t mean it’s RUBBISH. Just another way to look at some things. I tried it and I jumped up when I was able to do it. I didn’t think I was going to die, but I did it anyway, just to see if I could. And I passed, so I’m happy. I might check myself in five years again. Then again, I might not. I might have Alzheimer’s.
This is not a real test surely. No one is that stupid and besides how does that predict cancer, infection etc. If I die with in the 5 years when I got off the floor can my kids sue? Phhh
Some people responding on this list, don’t appear to understand what it means when a prediciton is made. Isn’t it obvious, that the theory doesn’t say that 100% of people, will respond exactly as predicted. It’s like weather forecasts. Dallas Rains isn’t “certain” it will rain tomorrow, but he knows that “chances are,” it’ll rain tomorrow. Your personal experience, or your grandfathers experiences, tells us “close” to nothing.
I don't think this is the right test for longevity, anybody who is disabled staying in bed can live more than a decade or two.
This type article can scare the people who can not pass the test. This is not a good practice to circulate this type of test with a number of years attached to it. Only God knows who is going to live for how long. I am a firm believer in God who created us and the Universe.
Don’t forget that we busdrivers like to skewer some of these statistics, too! A garbage truck yesterday in San Francisco killed an old man AND a seven-year-old girl, showing death has no respect for age or flexibility in sitting.
If anything, perhaps we should also consider at Blue Heron some “how to cross the street without getting killed” information, based on what I see everyday around here.