Researchers gave about 650 men an exercise test in 1967 when they were 50 years old. They asked participants to push themselves to the limit and ranked results into three groups based on low, medium or high endurance.
Each bump up in the endurance rankings was associated with a 21 percent lower risk of death during 45 years of follow-up, after adjusting for factors like smoking, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
“Low fitness in middle age was associated with increased risk for all-cause mortality for several decades,” lead study author Dr. Per Ladenvall of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden said by email.
To assess physical fitness in middle age, researchers used exercise tests and examined data on the maximum amount of oxygen participants’ bodies could use. Generally, people with higher fitness levels can use more oxygen than individuals who are out of shape.
Researchers started the study by looking at data on 792 men from a larger study designed to investigate risk factors for cardiovascular disease and mortality. Of those, only 656 were able to complete a maximum exercise test pushing themselves to the limit; the rest had a health condition that made this type of test unsafe.
See other articles about Exercise: Benefits, Longevity
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