BMI does not affect longevity but physical fitness does: study

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A new U.S. study suggests that when it comes to your risk of dying, physical fitness trumps body weight.

The study of more than 14,000 men found that maintaining or improving fitness has a greater impact on lowering the risk of death than body mass index.

In other words, the researchers found that the BMI was not associated with death risk, but becoming less physically fit increased the risk of death.

They found that every unit of increased fitness over six years was associated with a 19 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular-related deaths and a 15 per cent lower risk of death from any cause.

The research is on the American Heart Association’s website and in the journal Circulation.

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