New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) Scientists have developed a new test called the ‘Flex Index’ that can predict how long you will live. The results of this test can provide important information about your lifestyle and health.
Researchers claim that this test can help predict your life span. This test assesses your body’s flexibility and health condition, which can help estimate your age. However, experts say that this test is only an estimate. They say that life span can be increased only by taking care of lifestyle and health.
Brazilian researchers conducted a study on nearly 3,100 healthy middle-aged adults, reports the New York Post. The researchers devised a “flex index” score, which measures the mobility of joints.
The study found that men and women who had low Flex Index scores had a higher risk of dying – in some cases five times higher. The researchers found that exercise improves body mobility, which can increase life expectancy. Women had a 35% better Flex Index score than men.
Female participants aged 61 to 65 were, on average, 10 percent more flexible than men aged 46 to 50. Joint mobility decreases with age due to loss of muscle mass, thinning of cartilage or the onset of arthritis. The researchers followed the participants, who were 46 to 65 years old, for 13 years. During that time, about 10 percent of the study population, or 300 people, died. Flexibility scores were about 10 percent higher for participants who survived than for those who died.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing that low levels of body flexibility are associated with higher mortality in a large middle-aged group of men and women,” the researchers wrote in their findings.
Other research has also found a link between lack of flexibility and premature death. A UK fitness coach recently shared five exercises you can do at home to test how well you’re aging. Brazilian researchers say further studies should explore whether stretching training affects lifespan.
–IANS
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