Men's Death Rates Considerably Lowered by Routine Exercise

A new study has found that even relatively moderate levels of physical activity, such a brisk 30 minute walk, can significantly reduce the risk of death in men.

Researchers at the at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center (Washington, D.C., USA) investigated exercise capacity as an independent predictor of overall mortality for 6,749 African-American men and 8,911Caucasian men. Veterans were tested by a standardized treadmill test to assess exercise capacity between May 1983 and December 2006 at VA medical centers in Washington (D.C., USA) and Palo Alto (CA, USA). The researchers classified the subjects into fitness categories based on their treadmill performance, expressed as peak metabolic equivalents (METs). The researchers then divided the participants into four categories: 3,170 men were low fit, achieving less than 5 METs; 5,153 men were moderately fit, achieving 5 to 7 METs; 5,075 were highly fit, achieving 7.1 to 10 METs; and 2,261 were very highly fit, achieving more than 10 METs. The researchers also examined whether racial differences in exercise capacity influence the risk of death.

The study found that highly fit men had half the risk of death compared to low fit men. Men who achieved very highly fit levels had a 70% lower risk of death compared to those in the low fit category. For every 1-MET increase in exercise capacity, the risk for death from all causes was 13% lower for both African-Americans and Caucasians. The study was published ahead of print on January 22, 2008, in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association (AHA).

"Our findings show that the risk of death is cut in half with an exercise capacity that can easily be achieved by a brisk walk of about 30 minutes per session 5-6 days per week,” said lead author Professor Peter Kokkinos, Ph.D. "Physicians should encourage individuals to initiate and maintain a physically active lifestyle, which is likely to improve fitness and lower the risk of death. Individuals should also discuss exercise with their physician before embarking on an exercise program.”

One MET, equivalent to oxygen consumption of 3.5 milliliters per kilogram of body weight per minute, represents the amount of oxygen the person uses at rest. Anything above one MET represents work. The higher the MET level achieved, the more fit the individual.


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Washington VA Medical Center