Episode 125: We Can Now Gauge the Endurance Capacity Required to Reduce Mortality Risk

The Journal of the American College of Cardiology reported on the results of a modeling study in August 2022 that concluded, “the association of CRF (cardiorespiratory fitness) and mortality risk across the age spectrum (including septuagenarians and octogenarians), men, women, and all races was inverse, independent, and graded. No increased risk was observed with extreme fitness.”

The study – "Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Mortality Risk Across the Spectra of Age, Race, and Sex" – further concluded that, “being unfit carried a greater risk than any of the cardiac risk factors examined.”

The study group included a diverse group – age, gender, and race – of 750,302 U.S. veterans aged 30 to 95, who were followed for a median of 10.2 years. Age and gender-specific CFR categories were created based on peak MET (metabolic equivalent) achieved on a standardized treadmill test – one MET equal to 3.5 ml/kg/min. 

According to the study investigators, “the lowest mortality risk was observed at approximately 14.0 METs for men and women, with no evidence of an increase in risk with extremely high CRF. The risk for least fit individuals (20th percentile) was 4-fold higher compared with extremely fit individuals.”

In a related editorial, my friend, Cardiologist, Carl (Chip) J. Lavie, MD, whom I worked closely with during my tenure as Director of Health and Fitness for the Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, commented, “indeed, "improving CRF should be considered a target in CVD prevention, similar to improving lipids, blood sugar, blood pressure, and weight.”

If you would like to read the abstract from this study, here’s the link.

https://www.jacc.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jacc.2022.05.031

For more detailed information on similar studies, go to maxwellnutrition.com.