Simple Fitness Test May Predict Long-Term Risk of Heart Attack & Stroke

A person’s physical fitness levels measured by treadmill performance in middle-age may predict the risk of dying of heart attack or stroke decades later for men and could be an early indicator of cardiovascular disease for women. Jarett D. Berry, from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Texas, USA), and colleagues examined more than 66,000 participants without cardiovascular disease, ages 20 to 90 years. They were then followed until death or the end of the study period; follow-up lasted up to 36 years. There were 1,621 cardiovascular deaths during the study.  The team reports that: “A single measurement of fitness significantly improves classification of both short-term (10-year) and long-term (25-year) risk for [cardiovascular disease] mortality when added to traditional risk factors.”