Being in good physical condition or avoiding excess adiposity?

Physical fitness and body composition are important indicators of health, but their interrelationships and their association with mortality are poorly investigated.

This lack of research on the subject has motivated some scientists to promote the Spanish project EXERNET-Elder, with the participation of the Center for Biomedical Research in the Network of Fragility and Healthy Aging (CIBERFES) and the Center for Biomedical Research in the Physiopathology Network of the Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN), in Spain.

This longitudinal study has been launched by the GENUD Research Group, with the participation of researchers from the University of Castilla La Mancha, Zaragoza and the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM).

Within the EXERNET-Elder Project, a total of 2,299 adults over 65 years of age (76.8% women) have been included, who had to meet several criteria, in addition to age, such as living independently in a home, not suffering from dementia and/or cancer and have a body mass index above 18.5.

Body fat and weight were evaluated using a bioelectrical impedance analyzer. Fitness was measured with the Senior Fitness Test (a tool for measuring the fitness of older people) and one-leg static balance tests. To identify the death, the Spanish Death Index was consulted. Cluster analysis was performed to identify Fat-Fit patterns and traditional cut-off points and percentiles to create the Fat-Fit groups.

Getting enough physical exercise is a great help to stay in good physical shape when you reach old age. (Photo: CDC/Amanda Mills)

From the sample, a total of 196 deaths (8.7%) were identified during the 8 years of follow-up. Four clustered Fat-Fit patterns emerged (Low fat-Fit, Medium fat-Fit, High fat-Unfit and Low fat-Unfit) and 9 traditional Fat-Fit groups. Using the Low fat-Fit pattern as a reference, a significant increase in mortality was observed in the High fat-Unfit (HR: 1.68, CI: 1.06-2.66) and Low fat-Unfit (HR: 2.01, CI: 1.28-3.16). All traditional Fit groups showed a lower risk of mortality compared to the reference group (obese-unfit group).

In conclusion and according to these results, physical fitness is a determining factor for longevity in older people, regardless of the level of adiposity.

The study is titled “Fitness vs Fatness as Determinants of Survival in Noninstitutionalized Older Adults: The EXERNET Multicenter Study.” And it has been published in the academic journal The Journals of Gerontology. (Source: CIBER)