Fitness Level a Good Predictor of Death?

Posted on July 9, 2008

Here are a few graphs I found very interesting:

This first graph above shows the association between fitness levels and risk of death from all causes. As shown in the graph, as the level of fitness increases, the risk of death decreases.1

This next graph (above) shows the increase in the percent of adults in the United States that are obese or overweight (dotted line) and the decrease in percentage of calories consumed from fat (solid line) over a period of 40+ years.2 Even though we have decreased our fat intake, the percentage of adults who are overweight or obese has increased.

The above graph shows the effect of diet only, exercise only, and both on body fat, muscle, and total weight.3 As shown, you can lose weight and body fat through diet alone, but you also lose some muscle. Exercise can help maintain or increase muscle mass while decreasing weight and fat. A combination of both a healthy diet (eating less and eating healthy foods) and exercise is the best combination to lose weight and maintain or increase muscle mass.

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  1. Steven G. Aldana, The Culprit and the Cure: Why Lifestyle is the Culprit Behind America’s Poor Health and How Transforming That Lifestyle Can be the Cure (Mapleton, UT: Maple Mountain Press, 2005), 142. [↩]
  2. Ibid, 101. [↩]
  3. Ibid, 219. [↩]

» Filed Under Exercise, Nutrition, Prevention

Comments

2 Responses to “Fitness Level a Good Predictor of Death?”

  1. Clint on May 18th, 2009 1:05 pm

    great article

    Personal Training Chicago Illinois
    Professional Fitness Education
    Elder Care in San Jose California

  2. Faces of Death on June 21st, 2009 2:16 pm

    So how does my smoking two packs a day factor into this, lol..

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