The simple 1-minute test you can do right now to determine your risk of deadly cancer

THERE are a number of simple checks you can carry out yourself at home to give you a better insight into your overall health.

There's feeling for lumps and bumps, observing on your skin, and a straight forward could reveal a potential sign of .

But have you heard of the swallow test?

According to scientists, there's a certain number of times a healthy person should be able to swallow within 30 seconds.

Those who fail to reach the number could be presenting signs of a deadly condition.

Struggling to swallow could mean you have .

While the condition is usually caused by certain medications and acid reflux, it can be a sign of , serious lung disease, or a .

A technique many professionals use to establish if someone has dysphagia is called the Repetitive Saliva Swallow Test.

The simple test can be performed at home and sees a patient attempt to swallow as many times as possible in half a minute, without consuming any food or drink.

In a study published in 2024, Israeli medics established the number of swallows healthy people of different age groups should be able to achieve.

They found adults aged 20 to 39 should be able to swallow, on average, 8.5 times within 30 seconds.

Those in their 40s should be able to swallow eight times, while those in their 50s should manage seven swallows.

People in their 60s should be able to achieve just under seven swallows (6.7), and those in their 70s should be able to complete six.

Finally, those in their 80s should be able to do just over four swallows (4.3).

Someone who isn't able to reach the relevant healthy swallowing goal for their age group can be flagged for further investigation to explore the cause of dysphagia.

Writing in the journal Dysphagia, the researchers said their study was important as it displayed a much higher range of what should be considered healthy compared to previous studies.

The baseline previously established for the Repetitive Saliva Swallow Test had been set as three for all adults.

They wrote: “This finding reinforces the necessity for a more comprehensive exploration of the validity of the established cutoff values within the oldest old age group.”

The researchers noted the variation in test scores for different ages could be due to the physiological changes that occur in the throat muscles as people grow older.

Differences were also seen between men and women – men achieved more swallows than women.

This factor could also impact test results, the researchers said, although added further research is needed to look at the sex-based difference.

Dysphagia can be a symptom of various cancers, particularly those affecting the and upper digestive tract, includingcancers of the , throat, , larynx, thyroid, salivary glands, and even some cancers in the or .

Actor , who died earlier this week from , had a two-year battle with throat cancer.

The NHS says other common causes os dysphagia include:

• some medicines, such as antipsychotics
• having alearning disability
• acleft lip and palatein babies
• heartburn and , especially in children or people who have gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
• problems with your breathing caused by conditions like
• a condition that affects the nervous system or brain, such ascerebral palsy, astroke,dementiaormultiple sclerosis