Professor Dawn Skelton, exercise physiologist at Glasgow Caledonian University discussed balance and how it becomes more difficult as we age.
She said: “Unfortunately we all start losing our ability to stay up right from the age of 35 and 40 because it’s such an integration of all the body systems to keep us upright is not a simple thing.
“It can start quite young, and it deteriorates the older we get I’m afraid.”
Dr Mosley asked if there was any evidence that shows that we are getting worse at it, to which professor Skelton answered: “Yes there is, with each generation we’re a bit less active because we spend a lot more time on our screens and there is now starting to see some evidence that balance is getting a little bit worse with each generation.”
When it comes to the serious downsides of losing your balance, Professor Skelton warned: “The worst is falling of course.
“When you’re older and you fall you might not be able to get up from that fall, it might start making us fearful of movement so we stop moving other times and that makes us socially isolated living at home not going out much which will affect mental health.”
