Increasing exercise capacity reduces the risk of death in African-American and Caucasian men, according to research on the link between fitness and mortality, including over 15,000 participants. Reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, the researchers investigated exercise capacity as an independent predictor of overall mortality for African-American men (6,749) and Caucasion men (8,911) in addition to analyzing whether racial differences in exercise capacity influenced the risk of death. Each participant was tested by a standardized treadmill test to assess exercise capacity. They were encouraged to exercise until they were fatigued or unless symptoms of cardiac ischemia developed. These individuals were then tracked for an average of 7.5 years.

To assess the results, researchers used peak metabolic equivalents (or METs) to determine the amount of oxygen a person uses at rest. The higher the MET measurement, the more fit the individual. The results found that "highly fit" men, with a MET score between 7.1 and 10, had half the risk of death compared to "low fit" men achieving a score of less than five METs. Men who had a MET score of 10 or higher had a 70 percent lower risk of death compared to those in the "low fit" category.

Lead author, Dr. Peter Kokkinos believes these findings are important for several reasons, "First, we were able to quantify the health benefits per unit increase in exercise capacity. Second, this is the first study to provide information on physical activity and mortality in African Americans, information lacking until now." According to Kokkinos, one does not need be a marathon runner since it only takes moderate levels of activity, like brisk walking, to achieve the desired health benefits. A brisk walk, 30 minutes a day, five to six days a week is more than sufficient to attain moderately high fitness levels.

Related Stories

 - EXERCISE STUDY
 - PRE- HYPERTENSION TREATMENT
 - Yoga Is a Possible Treatment For Depression