The simple flexibility test that reveals if you’re five times more likely to die early

Unable to touch your toes? You could have a five times higher risk of death compared to those who can, a study suggests. 

Data from over 3,000 middle-aged people found those with a lower ‘flexibility score’ had a far higher chance of dying within a decade compared to those who were more supple.

Brazilian researchers assessed the flexibility of participants in a study using a system called Flexindex.

This examines how people can stretch in 20 ways using seven different joints, with some examples including being able to touch your toes, being able to touch the back of your left shoulder with your right hand over your head. 

At the end of the tests people are given a total score of between 0 and 80.

In the most recent analysis, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, experts found people aged 46 to 65 with higher Flexindex scores had between two and five better odds of surviving the next decade. 

Of the 3,000 plus participants included in the analysis about one in 10 were dead at its conclusion.

Survivors had an almost 10 per cent higher Flexindex score compared to those who died, the authors, from the Exercise Medicine Clinic – CLINIMEX, in Rio de Janeiro, said. 

This translated into women with a low Flexindex score having an almost five times higher risk of dying with men having almost twice the risk once factors like age, obesity and existing health conditions into account.

Dr Claudio Gil S. Araújo, an author on the paper, said: ‘Being aerobically fit and strong and having good balance have been previously associated with low mortality.

‘We were able to show that reduced body flexibility is also related to poor survival in middle-aged men and women.’

He added that as flexibility tends to decrease as we age people may wish to include stretching exercises into their routine and medics may wish to flexibility assessments in physical health evaluations. 

The NHS also advises that improving flexibility may help lower the risk of injury.

There were a number of limitations to the recent study.

One is that participants were primarily affluent and White which may limit the implications to other groups.