The joint association of fitness and fatness on cardiovascular disease mortality: a meta-analysis.
Abstract
The joint association of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and body mass index (BMI) on cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality was determined. PubMed and CINAHL were searched following PRISMA guidelines. Included studies were prospective, had objective assessments of maximal CRF and BMI, and compared the joint impact of CRF and BMI on CVD mortality risk to normal weight, fit referents. Pooled hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated from eight articles with nine independent groups using a random effects model. Unfit individuals had two to three times the risk of mortality across all levels of BMI. Overweight and obese-fit individuals had 25% and 42% increased mortality risk, respectively, compared to normal weight-fit individuals. However, for the obese-fit group, a one study removed analysis for five studies resulted in non-significant changes in mortality risk. Researchers, clinicians, and public health officials are encouraged to employ CRF interventions to reduce CDV mortality risk.
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Individuals with obesity but without diabetes are at elevated risk of developing diabetes and other cardiometabolic conditions compared with individuals without obesity.
“This subgroup, while sometimes characterized as metabolically healthy due to the lack of prevalent disease, is at elevated risk of developing diabetes and other cardiometabolic conditions compared with individuals without obesity.4,5,6,7”
From Factors Associated With Semaglutide Initiation Among Adults With Obesity (2025) · cites this paper as [5]
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- Authors
- Barry, V. W., Caputo, J. L., & Kang, M.
- Affiliations
- Middle Tennessee State University (US)
- University of Mississippi (US)
- Corresponding author
- Barry, Vaughn W.
- Venue
- Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-07
- Volume
- 61
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 136-141
- ISSN
- 0033-0620 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2834093841
- Cited by
- 107
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 3.05
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Keywords
- cardiorespiratory fitness, body mass index, cardiovascular mortality, obesity, overweight, mortality risk
- MeSH terms
- Healthy Lifestyle, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Cardiovascular Diseases, Health Status, Humans, Obesity, Prognosis, Risk Factors, Exercise, Body Mass Index, Risk Reduction Behavior, Adiposity
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