How healthy you are in midlife may help determine not just how long you live, but how many of those years you spend in good health, according to a new study published in the journal Today. Jack, The flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The study found that adults with high levels of cardiovascular fitness in midlife lived longer, developed fewer chronic diseases, and spent more years free of serious illness than those who did not.
Cardiorespiratory fitness, or how well your heart and lungs can deliver oxygen during physical activity, is known to reduce your risk of heart disease and early death. This study extends previous research by showing that fitness also plays an important role in healthy aging (defined as years lived without significant chronic disease).
The results of this study show that increased fitness in midlife is strongly associated with earlier onset of chronic disease, lower overall disease burden, and longer life expectancy. These benefits were observed in both men and women.
Researchers followed more than 24,500 healthy men and women until age 65, and used Medicare data to track their health later in life. Fitness was measured using a treadmill test in early adulthood, and researchers looked at the development of 11 major chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and cancer.
Compared to those with lower fitness levels, those with higher fitness levels in midlife experienced clear benefits later in life. On average, they developed chronic disease at least 1.5 years later, had fewer symptoms overall, and lived longer overall. These patterns were seen across a range of ages, weights, and smoking histories in both men and women.
Importantly, this study emphasizes healthspan, not just lifespan, and emphasizes that fitness can help people live healthier throughout their lives, rather than just living longer with disease.
The findings also highlight the public health value of physical activity, as regular exercise such as brisk walking, cycling, and other aerobic exercises can improve cardiovascular fitness.
The researchers say that improving fitness in midlife, even with small increases in physical activity, may be an important strategy for promoting healthy aging and maintaining quality of life later in life.
Limitations of this study include the observational design, which does not allow researchers to establish cause-and-effect relationships, and the fact that participants were generally health-conscious, which may limit broad generalizability.
sauce:
American College of Cardiology
Reference magazines:
Melnyk, C. others. (2026) Cardiorespiratory fitness and healthy aging in midlife: an observational cohort study. jack. https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2026.02.5122
