How long you can balance on one leg can indicate how old you are

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-10-24 05:00

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US and Taiwanese scientists say your ability to balance on one leg is a good indicator of how old you are, as the time we can maintain the balance declines as we age to a similar extent in both men and women. The decline is caused by the deterioration of our muscles and nerves, they say. The team also looked for links between ageing and grip strength, knee strength, balance while standing on both legs, and gait, but balancing on one leg was the only reliable indicator of age.