How many times you should be able to swallow in 30 seconds, depending on your age and what it means if you cant

This news might be a little hard to swallow.A recent study out of Israel reveals that the number of times you should be able to swallow in 30 seconds varies significantly by age — and falling short could signal serious health issues.​Dysphagia — the medical term for trouble swallowing — can be caused by medications or acid reflux.

It can also be a red flag for diseases like lung cancer, head and neck cancers, stroke or dementia.Symptoms include difficulty swallowing, drooling, chewing woes, weight loss and recurring chest infections.One of the methods used to diagnose dysphagia is the Repetitive Saliva Swallow Test (RSST) — a simple assessment you can do at home that involves seeing how many times you can swallow in 30 seconds.Israeli researchers analyzed the data of 280 adults aged 20 to 90 to establish age-specific benchmarks for this test.The study’s authors note that “RSST scores in healthy adults decline with age and are lower in females, individuals taking multiple medications and with higher BMI.”The findings align with previous research that shows swallowing frequency tends to be lower in older people and women.This study notably distinguishes between different age groups.Prior studies set the RSST benchmark to as little as three swallows for all adults.If you’re having trouble swallowing, early detection is crucial to avoid developing some of the more serious conditions.

One woman with dysphagia was diagnosed with a rare condition that renders her unable to eat or drink without standing up.Trouble swallowing can also be a symptom of throat cancer — a disease that “Top Gun” star Val Kilmer battled before his death last week at 65....