A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that people with the highest levels of aerobic fitness have the least chance of death.[1]
The study shows that lacking aerobic fitness is greater than or equal to traditional health risk factors such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and smoking.
In the study over 120,000 participants were tested for cardiorespiratory (aerobic) fitness on a treadmill. This is a significant improvement over other studies that have used self-reported exercise activity.
The bottom line that the participants who performed highest on the treadmill test, tended to have the least chance of death.
Another significant finding is that it seems there is no upper-limit on the benefits of fitness – even for those that take physical endurance to the extreme.
Conclusions from the study:
“Cardiorespiratory fitness is inversely associated with long-term mortality with no observed upper limit of benefit. Extremely high aerobic fitness was associated with the greatest survival and was associated with benefit in older patients and those with hypertension. Cardiorespiratory fitness is a modifiable indicator of long-term mortality, and health care professionals should encourage patients to achieve and maintain high levels of fitness.”
The study was based on over 122,000 participants of various ages.
Also, the protective benefits of aerobic fitness seem to be greater than or equal to traditional clinical risk factors, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and smoking.
The bottom line? Your levels of fitness are strongly linked to your longevity.
And this is great news – because we can choose to exercise and improve our lifespan and quality of life.
We believe that exercise or physical activity is the antidote to the sedentary modern lifestyle, and shows quantifiable benefits for longevity.
References
1. Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Long-term Mortality Among Adults Undergoing Exercise Treadmill Testing.
Kyle Mandsager, MD; Serge Harb, MD; Paul Cremer, MD; et al, JAMA Network Open. 2018;1(6):e183605. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.3605
Tim is the founder of FitAtMidlife.com – an avid gym rat for 30+ years, he’s a reviewer of many, many shoes – and founder of the Speed Bag Gathering – the world’s only gathering of speed bag punching enthusiasts. See more gym reviews at Tim’s YouTube channel.
