Fitness, not body weight is key to longevity?

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Study in the Journal of the American Medical Association says fitness

not fatness is the key to longevity.

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link:

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0450613820071205

full text:

Fitness trumps fatness in longevity study

Wed Dec 5, 2007 12:29am EST

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When it comes to living longer, fitness may

trump fatness, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

Men and women who were fit, as judged by a treadmill test, but were

overweight or obese had a lower mortality risk than those of normal

weight but low fitness levels, the study in the Journal of the

American Medical Association showed.

Exercise expert Blair of the University of South Carolina and

colleagues tracked about 2,600 people age 60 and up, examining how

physical fitness and body fat affected their death rates over 12 years.

Those in the lowest fifth in terms of fitness had a death rate four

times higher than participants ranked in the top fifth for fitness.

" Being fit provides protection against mortality in these men and

women 60 and older, whether they're normal weight, overweight or

obese, " Blair said in a telephone interview.

The findings are particularly relevant as people in the United States

and many other countries live increasingly sedentary lifestyles and

obesity rates remain high. At the same time, the populations are aging

in many nations.

" I believe we have an obesity epidemic. It's a bad sign. We should not

ignore obesity, " Blair said. " But what happens all too often is we

focus nearly exclusively on obesity and forget the activity and

fitness part. "

MODEST EFFORT HELPS

The researchers assessed the fitness of the participants using a

treadmill test, seeing how long they could walk while the treadmill's

incline increased. They measured body mass index -- calculated from a

person's weight and height -- as well as waist circumference and body

fat percentage.

The study showed that even a modest effort to improve physical

activity can provide health benefits, the researchers said. Those in

the bottom fifth in terms of fitness were about twice as likely to die

than those in the next fifth.

" You shouldn't be scared and think, 'Oh, I'm overweight, I'm obese,

it's useless for me to be physically active,' " Dr. Xuemei Sui, another

University of South Carolina researcher who worked on the study, said

in a telephone interview.

Drastic steps may not be needed, the researchers said.

" If you're overweight or obese and you're sedentary and unfit and you

start taking three 10-minute walks a day and you do that at least five

days a week, you're not going to lose an enormous amount of weight, "

Blair said.

" You're going to still be heavy. But you're going to be much healthier

if you do that, " Blair said.

Blair also stressed the importance of a healthful diet including lots

of fruit, vegetables and whole grains.

More than a third of U.S. adults are obese, according to the U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity is a major risk

factor for cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer and the

most common form of diabetes, the CDC said.

The CDC also has found that more than half of adults do not engage in

regular physical exercise. Exercise cuts the chances of dying of

coronary heart disease, as well as lowering the risk for stroke, colon

cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure, the CDC said.