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According to a new study conducted by Xuemei Sui, M.D., of
the University of South Carolina, Columbia,
and colleagues, the fitness level is a strong predictor of longevity,
especially for adults over age 60.
During their study, which included 2,603 adults age 60 years
or older (average age, 64.4 years; 19.8 percent women), the researchers tried
to examine the the associations between cardiorespiratory fitness, various
clinical measures of adiposity (body fat) and death in older women and men.
In order to asses the fitness level the researchers used the
treadmill exercise, while the adiposity level was assessed by body mass index
(BMI), waist circumference, and percent body fat. Low fitness was defined as
the lowest fifth of the sex-specific distribution of treadmill exercise test
duration. There were 450 deaths during an average follow-up of 12 years.
The researchers found that those who died were older, had
lower fitness levels, and had more cardiovascular risk factors than survivors.
However, there were no significant differences in adiposity measures.
“… we observed that fit individuals who were obese (such as
those with BMI of 30.0-34.9, abdominal obesity, or excessive percent body fat)
had a lower risk of all-cause mortality than did unfit, normal-weight, or lean
individuals. Our data therefore suggest that fitness levels in older
individuals influence the association of obesity to mortality,” the authors
write.
Based on their research, the authors concluded that the
regular physical activity such as brisk walking for 30 minutes or more on most
days of the week may reduce all-cause death rates among older adults, including
those who are obese.
“Enhancing functional capacity also should allow older
adults to achieve a healthy lifestyle and to enjoy longer life in better health”,
the authors concluded.
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