A game of Sudoku might be the fastest way to increase your maths skills, but the game still isn’t as effective as this little trick in determining your brain’s health. If you want to test your risk of suffering a stroke, researchers from the University of Tokyo think the answer could lie in some fancy footwork. A new study believes asking just this one question could determine how healthy your brain is… So, how long can you stand on one leg? Investigating their claims, the study took a sample of more than 1300 men and women, asking them to stand on one leg and keep their eyes open. Participants were then timed to see how they balanced, and maintained form over the time. Researchers found that respondents who struggled to balance for more than 20 seconds also fared the worst on tests assessing their cognitive function. Unfortunately, that wasn’t all the bad news for the group who struggled with balance. Scientists in the study also reported that there was an increased showing of cerebral small vessel disease or minute haemorrhages associated with a higher risk of strokes. Speaking about the results, study author Yasuharu Tabara wrote: "One-leg standing time is a simple measure of postural instability and might be a consequence of the presence of brain abnormalities." While the study concentrated on people in their early 60s, researchers said working on balance now could help stimulate brain patterns in later life. H/T Health News Daily via Kyoto University