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VIDEO: Small increases to exercise capacity improve long-term CVD, mortality risk
ORLANDO, Fla. — In this video, Gregory D. Lewis, MD, director of the cardiology intensive care unit and the cardiopulmonary exercise laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses results of the CARDIA study that link exercise capacity with CVD and mortality risk.
Researchers assessed exercise capacity in 5,000 younger patients. The results were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions. After multiple assessments of exercise capacity overtime, Lewis said the researchers observed a significant association between changes to fitness level over time and both future CVD development and long-term survival. During the course of 7 years of follow-up, even small changes to fitness levels were associated with approximately 20% lower risk for CV-related and all-cause mortality.