Article by Kent Allen, AARP
“For people 70 and older, fitness level is a better predictor of mortality and longevity than their risk factors related to heart health, such as diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, according to a new study.
In the study, researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found that cardiovascular risk factors “are so common in older people that the total number of risk factors becomes almost meaningless for predicting future health.” An individual’s relative fitness, on the other hand, is strongly associated with his or her prospects for a healthy future, the researchers determined.
The entire study will be released later this month at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session.”