The death test

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When it comes to figuring out how healthy you are and how long you might live, a cardiac stress test is what doctors usually rely on to tell if someone is at risk for heart failure in the next few years. But what if you could predict your longevity quickly and easily with a simple test that you can do anywhere? Scientific studies may prove that if you have trouble getting up and down off of the floor, it's nothing to laugh about.

The death test, or the sitting rising test, was invented by a doctor in Brazil. He says it can predict if you're going to die in the next 6 years. The goal is to get down and back up from a sitting position on the floor with minimal support. Webefit.com has an instructional video that shows you exactly how to do it.

It may look and sound easy, but a lot of people struggle. You cross your feet and go into a seated position all the way down on the floor. Then, you come back up to a standing position without your hands ever touching the ground. Of course, when people hear about this, the first thing they want to do is try it. Several people in our newsroom gave it a shot and only two had perfect scores.

It's not a pass or fail test. There's an overall score of ten. You get five points for sitting down, coming back up is another five.  But you can lose points really fast. You lose a point for each hand, arm or knee you use for support. Take off a half-point when you lose your balance at any time, either on the way down or coming back up. Total those numbers for your final score.

According to the doctor who developed the test, if you score fewer than eight points, you are twice as likely to die within the next six months compared to people who score higher. Dr. Saumil Oza, electrophysiologist and Chief of Cardiology at St. Vincent's Riverside, was live on our show at 7:45 this morning to discuss the test. We will update this story after his live interview with what he has to say about why this test is used to measure your health and if it really can determine anything about the timing of your death.