A quick and straightforward exercise could help predict natural and cardiovascular causes of death, according to the findings of a recently published study.
Researchers set out to answer the question: Can a non-aerobic physical fitness assessment predict premature deaths in middle-aged and older people? Their findings suggest that the answer might be ‘yes.’
The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, examined the results from over 4,200 people aged 46-75 from 1998 to 2023. The researchers said none of the participants, most of whom were men, showed any “relevant physical or clinical limitations for fitness testing. ”
To assess the main components of non-aerobic physical fitness, researchers utilized a sitting-rising test, muscle strength and power measures, and a person’s flexibility, balance, and body composition.
Participants had to sit and rise from the floor to perform the test without allowing their hands, elbows, or knees to touch the ground. Individuals were asked to perform the exercise using the least amount of support required.
“Crossing the legs for either sitting or rising from the floor was allowed, while the sides of the participant’s feet were not used for support,” read the study.
Participants were awarded a maximum of five points separately for sitting and rising. A perfect score of 10 implied the person performed the exercise without any need for support, and they did so without any observed unsteadiness. A point was deducted when, for example, a person relied on using a hand or the side of the leg. Unsteady execution also resulted in a half-point reduction in their score.
Failure to perform the exercise, even with assistance, resulted in a score of zero.
The researchers followed up with the participants roughly 12 years after the assessments. They discovered that the scores were a “significant predictor” of natural and cardiovascular mortality.
People who scored a perfect 10 had death rates of 3.7%. Those with a score of eight points had much higher death rates at 11.1%, and those with scores of zero to four points had substantially elevated death rates at 42.1%.