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Reduced aerobic capacity linked to higher mortality rates regardless of CV risk factors
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A decades-long study showed that lower aerobic capacity was associated with increased mortality rates in middle-aged men independent of traditional risk factors including smoking, BP and serum cholesterol.
“The benefits of being physically active over a lifetime are clear,” Per Ladenvall, MD, PhD, a researcher in the department of molecular and clinical medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, said in a press release. “Low physical capacity is a greater risk for death than high BP or high cholesterol.”
Per Ladenvall
Ladenvall and colleagues analyzed data from a cohort of 792 men aged 50 years in Gothenburg in 1963. In 1967, the men performed a stringent exercise test that measured peak oxygen uptake (peak VO2) using ergospirometry; 656 (83%) of them were able to perform the maximum exercise test.
The men were stratified into three tertiles (low, medium, high) based on exercise results. Follow-up occurred until 2012, with physical examinations taking place approximately once per decade.
The researchers, employing Cox regression analysis, found that being in the lowest tertile for peak VO2, smoking, high serum cholesterol and high mean arterial BP at rest were strongly linked to mortality.
When Ladenvall and colleagues performed a multivariable analysis, they found an association independent of stablished risk factors between predicted peak VO2 tertiles (HR = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.71-0.89) and mortality. Also associated with mortality: high mean arterial BP (HR = 1.01; 95% CI, 1.002-1.02); high serum cholesterol (HR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.04-1.22), and smoking (HR = 1.58; 95% CI, 1.34-1.85).
The variable impact on mortality of predicted peak VO2 tertiles (15.3) trailed only smoking (31.4) among factors measured, according to the researchers.
“The length of follow-up in our study is unique,” Ladenvall said in the release. “We have come a long way in reducing smoking. The next major challenge is to keep us physically active and also to reduce physical inactivity, such as prolonged sitting.” – by James Clark
Disclosure: The study was supported by insurance company Förenade Liv. Ladenvall is also an employee of AstraZeneca. The other researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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