Fitness Matters More Than Weight for Longevity, Per New Study

“Exercise capacity (measured in this case by VO2 max) is a major determinant of future mortality,” he says. Dr. Siddhartha Angadione of the study authors and an associate professor at the university. University of Virginia. “It is also a much more valuable predictor of future mortality risk compared to weight categorized by BMI.”

In fact, this study found that aerobic fitness is more important than weight for longevity, providing a clearer picture of what really matters for long-term health: building stronger hearts, lungs, and muscles. I am. Here’s a breakdown of the research and what it means for you.

Learn more about the research

The review is the largest study to date on weight, physical fitness and longevity, combining data from 20 studies involving nearly 400,000 people across multiple countries. Participants were categorized by BMI (normal, overweight, or obese) and aerobic fitness level (healthy or unhealthy).

According to Angadi, BMI is the ratio of weight to height and gives a rough estimate of body fat. In contrast, VO2 max measures how efficiently your body absorbs and utilizes oxygen during physical activity, quantifying your fitness level. Harvard Health Publishing. And elite athletic ability was not required to achieve the “healthy” classification in this study. If you’re in the bottom 20 percent of your aerobic capacity or higher, you qualify as healthy, Angadi said.

The results of this review challenge the common assumption that weight is the most important factor for health and longevity. “People who were unfit had a two to three times higher risk of all-cause death or death from cardiovascular disease,” he says. “Unhealthy people with a normal BMI have about twice the risk of dying compared to healthy people with an obese BMI.”

What about take-home? “The risks associated with being unhealthy are much greater than the risks associated with being overweight,” says Angadi. “Typically, people only look at exercise as a way to burn calories. But exercise is a very powerful way to improve your risk of disease.”

Limitations of BMI as a health indicator

Although BMI is useful as an approximation of body fat for the general population, it is often a poor measure of health. “People have this idea that you’re fat or healthy, but you could be fat.” and It’s a perfect fit,” says Angadi. “Whether you are classified as obese based on your BMI is determined by your height and weight. Fitness, or VO2 max, determines how much blood your heart can pump in a minute and how much oxygen your muscles can take up. It depends on what you can do. They are very different things.”

Other experts agree that BMI has its limitations. “The problem with BMI is that it doesn’t take into account your muscle mass, which means you can have more muscle, be denser, and be recorded as obese.” Jordan D. Metzl, MDsports medicine physician. Special surgery hospital. “As such, BMI is not an effective predictor of body composition or overall health.”

Furthermore, he says, “We don’t know where body fat is.” Heather Milton, MS, RCEP, CSCSis a certified clinical exercise physiologist. New York University Langone Health. This is important because not all fats are created equal. For example, fat that accumulates in the abdomen is a risk factor for disease and death.

“Typically, people only look at exercise as a way to burn calories. But exercise is a very powerful way to improve your risk of disease.” —Dr. Siddhartha Angadi

Why VO2 max is a better predictor of health status

According to , cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionTherefore, metrics that directly measure heart, lung, and muscle efficiency provide better insight than BMI alone.

Simply put, when it comes to mortality risk from common chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, “VO2 max is at the heart of the matter,” says Angadi. “This gives us a very good snapshot of the organ systems most associated with common reasons for human death. It also gives us a very good snapshot of the organ systems most associated with common reasons for human death. It also shows the body’s ability to extract, transport and utilize oxygen – its ability to do work. Measure.”

How to increase max VO2

Improving your aerobic fitness starts with understanding your baseline VO2 max. Metzl says clinical metabolic testing remains the gold standard. Milton said this typically involves doing aerobic exercise (such as jogging) while wearing a face mask and measuring the amount of oxygen you inhale and the amount of carbon dioxide you exhale.

Metzl says VO2 max can be measured outside the clinic using everyday wearable devices, such as smartwatches. Although these tools don’t provide very accurate measurements, they can still give you a rough idea of ​​your cardiovascular health.

Once you know your baseline, consistent aerobic exercise is the key to increasing your VO2 max. “Being ‘healthy’ is not impossible. Health is available to everyone,” says Angadi. “Exercise is one of the best medicines you can take to improve your risk of disease. Exercise affects every organ system in your body.”

Angadi advises: US Department of Health and Human Services” Physical activity guidelines state that adults should do at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (such as brisk walking or cycling) or 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise (such as interval training) per week. is recommended.