Mortality Decreases Due To Fitness Level
A large study of veterans shows that exercise really can add years to your life. 15,600 veterans participated in the largest study to analyze the link between fitness and mortality. The Veterans Affairs researchers studied these men, 43% of which were black, and found that men that were “highly fit”, exercising thirty minutes a day, five days a week risked death only half as much as those who were unfit. The risk of death was even lower for men who were “very highly fit”.
It is common knowledge that exercise has benefits, however this study dug up more information about the links between fitness and mortality, as well as the effects of fitness in blacks, who have higher death rates than whites.
The research included a treadmill test used to determine the fitness levels of the veterans. The test was used for various reasons, from annual checkups to chest pain complaints. The average age of participants was around 60 years old. These participants were put into four categories according to their fitness levels. For eight years, follow-up was done in order to determine how fitness relates to mortality.
The results of the study were published in the American Heart Association journal online.
The study showed that for both blacks and whites as fitness level increased, the risk of death decreased. In the very highly fit group, only 8 percent died; in the highly fit group, 15 percent; in the moderately fit group, 30 percent; and in the least fit group, 44 percent died.
The research study had strength because of its size and the fact that all participants had the same access to health care. However, the researchers were not sure of causes of death, or if the veterans remained physically active. Even so, exercise was just as beneficial to blacks as it was to whites.
Dr. Randal Thomas, director of the Cardiovascular Health Clinic at the Mayo Clinic believes this is simply just more evidence that exercise is truly one of the best medicines. Doctors should realize this and discuss it with their patients, Dr. Tracy Stevens, a cardiologist with Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute would say.
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