Middle-aged Poor Physical Shape = Early Death
Being in poor shape in middle age hurts more than just one’s physique. It is also tied to earlier death, a recent study found.
The research is the first to link physical ability among relatively young people and the likelihood of dying, as study participants were all 53 years old when their fitness was measured. Previous studies have shown a similar association with older participants.
Among older people, “these observed associations may be explained by the pathways between diseases, physical capability and mortality in later life,” said Rachel Cooper, the study’s lead author from University College London in the UK.
But it hadn’t been clear whether physical wellbeing earlier in life affected the risk of death.
Performing poorly on physical tests “may provide a useful indication of underlying disease and the aging processes which are likely to be detrimental for future health, but which are not yet necessarily clinically manifest.”
The study is an important addition to what was already known about physical fitness and the risk of death, researchers said, because it extends this link to people in their 50s.
SOURCE: bit.ly/RnGtcT BMJ, online April 29, 2014.
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