Physical Fitness as a Predictor of Mortality among Healthy, Middle-Aged Norwegian Men
Abstract
Background Despite many studies suggesting that poor physical fitness is an independent risk factor for death from cardiovascular causes, the matter has remained controversial. We studied this question in a 16-year follow-up investigation of Norwegian men that began in 1972. Methods Our study included 1960 healthy men 40 to 59 years of age (84 percent of those invited to participate). Conventional coronary risk factors and physical fitness were assessed at base line, with physical fitness measured as the total work performed on a bicycle ergometer during a symptom-limited exercise-tolerance test. Results After an average follow-up time of 16 years, 271 men had died, 53 percent of them from cardiovascular disease. The relative risk of death from any cause in fitness quartile 4 (highest) as compared with quartile 1 (lowest) was 0.54 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.32 to 0.89; P = 0.015) after adjustment for age, smoking status, serum lipids, blood pressure, resting heart rate, vital capacity, body-mass index, level of physical activity, and glucose tolerance. Total mortality was similar among the subjects in fitness quartiles 1, 2, and 3 when the data were adjusted for these same variables. The adjusted relative risk of death from cardiovascular causes in fitness quartile 4 as compared with quartile 1 was 0.41 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.20 to 0.84; P = 0.013). The corresponding relative risks for quartiles 3 and 2 (as compared with quartile 1) were 0.45 (95 percent c…
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People who exercise regularly have a lower baseline risk of myocardial infarction.
“People who exercise regularly not only have a lower base-line risk of myocardial infarction, but as demonstrated by this study, they also have a lower relative risk that an infarction will be triggered by heavy physical exertion.”
From Triggering of Acute Myocardial Infarction by Heavy Physical Exertion -- Protection against Triggering by Regular Exertion (1993) · cites this paper as [25]
Regular exercise is associated with a reduction in the long-term risk of coronary events.
“numerous studies5,24-31 have found that regular exercise is associated with a reduction in the long-term risk of coronary events.”
From Triggering of Acute Myocardial Infarction by Heavy Physical Exertion -- Protection against Triggering by Regular Exertion (1993) · cites this paper as [25]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Sandvik, L., Erikssen, J., Thaulow, E., Erikssen, G., Mundal, R., & Rodahl, K.
- Affiliations
- Akershus University Hospital (NO)
- National University Hospital (SG)
- University of Oslo (NO)
- Venue
- New England Journal of Medicine
- Publisher
- Massachusetts Medical Society
- Published
- 1993-02-25
- Volume
- 328
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 533-537
- ISSN
- 0028-4793 (ISSN-L)
- 1533-4406
- OpenAlex
- W2328965873
- Cited by
- 788
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 39 · 2012: 27
- FWCI
- 18.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- New England Journal of Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Effects of Exercise
- Keywords
- physical fitness, mortality, cardiovascular mortality, middle-aged men, exercise tolerance, cycle ergometer, coronary risk factors, all-cause mortality, cardiovascular risk prediction
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Cardiovascular Diseases, Coronary Disease, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Mortality, Norway, Physical Fitness, Prognosis, Risk Factors, Smoking
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