For Longer Life, Fitness Counts More Than Fatness

The good news, for those who are not slim, is that the extra pounds that won’t come off probably don’t have to come off, at least not if your goal is reducing your risk of death (a good thing). The American Heart Association reports on research (funded by Coca-Cola) that suggests that improving physical fitness is a better way to reduce the risk of death than taking off pounds. In a six-year-long study involving 14,345 men, average age 44, researchers used treadmill tests to estimate physical fitness (measured in METs, metabolic equivalents of task) and height and weight measurements to calculate body mass index (BMI). When, after more than 11 years of follow-up, the researchers determined the relative risks of dying among men who lost, maintained, or gained fitness, they found that every unit of increased fitness over six years was associated with a 19 percent lower risk of heart disease and stroke-related deaths — and a 15 percent lower risk of death from any cause. They also found that becoming less fit was linked to a higher death risk, regardless of BMI changes. One caveat: in this study, 90 percent of the men were either normal weight or overweight at the beginning, so researchers are uncertain if the findings apply to obese people. Pop open a cold Coke and read more from the American Heart Association.