The simple exercise of sitting down and standing up again without holding onto anything, could suggest how long you have to live.

不攙扶任何東西，坐下再站起來。從這一系列簡單的動作就能預測你的壽命。

This is the belief of a group of physicians, who came up with the ‘sitting-rising test’ to measure their patients’ flexibility and strength.

上述是一組醫生的觀點，他們提出“坐立測試”（sitting-rising test）以評估患者的柔韌度和力量。

They developed a scoring system for the test and found that people who scored three points or less out of 10, were more than five times as likely to die within six years, as those who scored more than eight points.

他們為該測試研發了相應的評分系統，評估發現在總分10分的測試中，得分等于或小于3分的人6年內死亡的可能性比得分大于8分的人高5倍多。

Claudio Gil Araujo, of Gama Filho University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was among the doctors who originally developed the sitting rising test (SRT) to quickly assess the flexibility of athletes, but he now uses it to persuade his patients that they need to stay active to maintain their muscle and balance, and live longer, Discover Magazine reported.

據《探索》雜志（Discover Magazine）報道，來自巴西里約熱內盧的伽馬·菲里奧大學（Gama Filho University）的克勞迪奧·吉爾·阿羅約醫生（Claudio Gil Araujo）是“坐立測試”（SRT）的初始研發者之一。那時做這個研發是為了快速評估運動員的柔韌度，但現在他將之用于說服患者經常運動以維持患者肌肉量、保持身體平衡，從而延長壽命。

As we age, our muscles tend to become weaker and a loss of balance means we are increasingly likely to fall.

隨著年齡的增長，我們的肌肉力量往往會減弱，而失去平衡意味著我們更容易跌倒。

Current ways to test frailty can be time-consuming, impractical and inaccurate for small doctors’ surgeries, but experts are keen to keep older people moving.

對于醫生的一些小型外科手術來說，目前測試肌肉衰退的方法很浪費時間、不太可行也不太精確。但是專家非常希望老人們保持活動。

Dr Araujo says that anyone can take the SRT because no equipment is needed.

阿羅約博士說，誰都可以進行SRT測試，因為這不需要任何儀器。

In a study, published in the European Journal of Cardiology, the researchers described how 2002 adults aged between 51 and 80 took the SRT at Clinimex Exercise Medicine Clinic in Rio.

在發表于歐洲期刊《心臟病學》（Cardiology）的一項研究中，研究人員描述了2002名成年人參與SRT測試的情況，此次測試者年齡分布在51歲到80歲之間，測試地點為里約熱內盧克林尼梅克斯運動醫學診所（Clinimex Exercise Medicine Clinic）。

They found that patients who scored fewer than eight points out of 10 on the test, were twice as likely to die within the next six years, compared with people with more perfect scores.

研究人員發現，在滿分為10分的測試中，得分少于8分的患者未來6年內死亡的可能性是得分更多者的兩倍。

One point was deducted each time a person used their hand or knee for support to either sit down or stand up, while half a point was deducted for losing their balance.

受測人在坐下或站起的過程中使用手或膝蓋進行支撐的話，一次會被扣去1分；失去平衡則被扣去0.5分。

The experts found that people who scored three points or fewer, were more than five times as likely to die within the same period.

專家發現得分為3分或低于3分者在相同時間段內死亡可能性是其他人的5倍多。

They wrote in the study: ‘Musculoskeletal fitness, as assessed by SRT, was a significant predictor of mortality in 51–80-year-old subjects.’

他在此研究中寫道：“如SRT測試評估的那樣，肌肉骨骼的健康狀況是年齡在51歲到80歲受試者壽命長短的重要預示。”

The study found that every point increase in the test, was linked to a 21 per cent decrease in mortality from all causes.

研究發現測試中每增加一分，受測者死亡的可能性就降低21%，無論死因是什么。

（翻譯：xysweetxy 編輯：丁一）