Heart Fitness Benefits Health More Than Weight Loss

12/11/07 Nutrition & Exercise

A recent study showed that weight had little influence on a person's cause of death. Adults older than 60 who had higher levels of heart fitness lived longer than unfit adults, independent of their levels of body fat, according to a study in the December 5 issue of JAMA. However, the advantage was less pronounced among people who were obese.

Other medical research has shown that obesity and physical inactivity can produce a higher risk of death in middle-aged adults. Whether this is also true for older adults was uncertain.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of South Carolina-Columbia, included 2,603 adults age 60 years or older. During the study 450 participants died. They found that those who died were older, had lower fitness levels, and had more cardiovascular risk factors than survivors. Those that died however, were not more overweight.

"It may be possible to reduce all-cause death rates among older adults, including those who are obese, by promoting regular physical activity, such as brisk walking for 30 minutes or more on most days of the week," the authors write.

The statistics were also surprising for slim and average weight individuals. Even thought they were not overweight, they were still subject to heart disease, diabetes and many other illnesses. Those that did not exercise for heart health had higher death rates than overweight exercisers.

Participants in the higher fitness groups were, for the most part, less likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, diabetes, or high cholesterol levels. In most instances, death rates for those with higher fitness were less than half of rates for those who were unfit.

"We observed that fit individuals who were obese (such as those with BMI of 30.0-34.9, abdominal obesity, or excessive percent body fat) had a lower risk of all-cause mortality than did unfit, normal-weight, or lean individuals," the authors write.

The participants' fitness levels were measured using a treadmill exercise test. Whether a person was lean, of average weight, overweight or obese was determined by BMI, waist circumference, and percent body fat. Low fitness was defined as the lowest fifth of the sex-specific distribution of treadmill exercise test duration.

So if you have been exercising but have not lost weight, take heart. Your work is probably paying off. My Diabetes Information wants to provide encouragement and information that will help you be more healthy. It is not that important to be incredibly thin. It is important to get the exercise your body needs. Diabetes fitness philosophies may need to adjust.

Source:

Journal of the American Medical Association, December 2007