What is your VO2max? How is it related to your longevity and healthspan?

December 22nd, 2023 by Jennie

Two powerful studies, published in highly respected medical journals, followed almost 900,000 subjects for a number of years and concluded that higher VO2 max was associated with lower mortality across all fitness levels. And while there seemed to be no upper limit to the benefits of aerobic fitness (CRF), the impact of lower aerobic fitness on longevity was clearly similar to commonly recognized comorbidities: 

Increased Cardiorespiratory Fitness (CRF) was associated with reduced long-term mortality (death by any cause) with no observed upper limit of benefit. The adjusted mortality risk of reduced CRF was greater than or equal to traditional clinical risk factors, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and smoking. Extreme aerobic fitness (CRF ≥ 2 SDs above the mean for age and sex) was associated with the greatest survival and was notably beneficial in older patients and those with hypertension.”

In other words, the greater your fitness, the lower your chance of passing away early, with no limit to how being more aerobically fit can help. If you’re not very aerobically fit, the risk of not living as long is similar to or even greater than known health issues like heart disease, diabetes, or smoking. 

The great news is that CRF is a “modifiable indicator”, and can be changed or influenced through exercise to great health effect. The following tables show the various VO2 Max categories used in the studies and the substantial reduction in All Cause Mortality as aerobic fitness moves from group to group. 

Improving from the Below Average group to the Above Average group is associated with a 41% decrease in All-Cause Mortality within the next year. This is equivalent to the impact of quitting smoking! Moving from Above Average to High has a similar reduction in overall mortality risk. Furthermore, improving your VO2 Max from Low CRF to High CRF results in a substantial 290% reduction in All Cause Mortality, and going from Low to Elite is even more remarkable with a massive 404% reduction! Another way of saying this is that someone in the low CRF group has an almost 3 times greater risk of dying compared to someone in the High CRF category, and a 4 times greater risk of dying than someone in the Elite group.

Peter Attia MD in his best selling book on longevity, “Outlive”, highlighted the significance of this finding by saying “It turns out that peak aerobic cardiorespiratory fitness, measured in terms of VO2max, is perhaps that single most powerful marker for longevity”

With such an impact on longevity within your control, why wait any longer? Call or order your test online today at Athletic Mentors and schedule a VO2max test to determine your longevity risk and talk with a fitness expert to design a program that helps you improve your health to live longer and better. 


Change Your Perspective About Food…

March 28th, 2019 by Jennie

“The fate of your health, including that of the brain, is a choice—not a destiny dictated by your genes. Food is medicine and we can actually change our gene expressions with the foods we eat.” -Nutrition expert, Dr. David Perlmutter, a renowned neurologist and New York Times best-selling author of Grain Brain, The Brain Maker and The Better Brain.

Food is fuel and medicine. Every one of your dietary decisions throughout the day impacts your exercise and mental performance. Most refined carbohydrates contain no minerals, enzymes or nutrients. This makes them an ANTI-nutrient. Choosing the vending machine over fresh produce is not only void of nutrition, but also causes damage and leads to disease and poor productivity at work and home. Your body needs fuel, not calories. More importantly, you want to live a vibrant life rather than fretting missed weight loss goals. There are so many reasons to eat healthy other than losing weight!

 

When you fuel yourself with healthy foods over your lifetime, you give yourself a strong heart, body and the power to stay free of disease. It is never too late. Research shows that there are foods that can actually reverse some damage and most definitely prevent further damage. When it comes to preventing some cancers, healthy foods are going to fight for you. Sugar is food for cancer cells. They love it. Starve them by eating a diet free of processed foods. Good fats and plenty of veggies will inhibit cancer cell activity to slow tumor growth.

Consistently getting the hydration, vitamins, and minerals you need keeps your body primed and ready to work its best. Eating nutrient-rich foods are critical to keeping your muscles and mind strong so that you can do whatever it is you want to do, whether that’s bench pressing your body weight or taking the stairs at age 90. People who eat well day in and day out are more productive than are junk food eaters.To keep your muscles strong and brain high functioning, now and as you age, start meeting your nutritional needs!