Men who show good cardiorespiratory fitness in middle age tend to have a reduced risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in later life, new research indicates.
The Danish study followed men for a long time period, up to 46 years.
Dr Gorm Mork Hansen of Herlev-Gentofte University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues recruited 4,730 middle aged men from 14 large workplaces in Copenhagen in 1970 to 1971.
The men had an average age of 49 years. Their cardiorespiratory fitness was measured and categorised as low, normal, or high. National registers were then used to identify cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and deaths from the disease.
Analysis showed that, compared with low cardiorespiratory fitness, the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was 21% lower in participants with normal cardiorespiratory fitness, and 31% lower with high cardiorespiratory fitness.
Compared with low cardiorespiratory fitness, the risk of death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was 35% lower in participants with normal cardiorespiratory fitness, and 62% lower in participants with high cardiorespiratory fitness.
The research is in Thorax. The team state that physical activity that boosts fitness should be encouraged “to delay development, progression and death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease”.
They add that the processes by which cardiorespiratory fitness is linked to the development and progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are not yet clear, but they believe that inflammation caused by physical inactivity may be involved.
Hansen, G. M. et al. Midlife cardiorespiratory fitness and the long-term risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Thorax 19 June 2019; doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2018-212821
http://thorax.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2018-212821
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