Fitness research presented at the ATS 2016 International Conference suggested that being fit may reduce the decline of lung function that occurs while we age.
“While everyone’s lung function declines with age, the actual trajectory of this decline varies among individuals, “ said Lillian Benck, MD, a medical resident at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, and study lead investigator.
Benck and her colleagues analyzed data from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s CARDIA (Coronary Risk Development in Young Adults Study), which began in 1985-86 with 5,115 healthy black and white men and women, aged 18-30. The study measured participant’s cardiopulmonary fitness periodically over 20 years using a graded treadmill test.
Adjusting for age, smoking, body mass index and change in BMI, the association between fitness and lung function remained statistically significant. The study found greater cardiopulmonary fitness in young adulthood and achieving relatively increased level of fitness from young adulthood to middle age are associated with less decline in pulmonary function over time, suggesting an association with preservation of lung health independent of BMI and smoking.
Because it was an observational study, researchers could not claim cause and effect. However, they noted several important strengths, including a large study population and long term follow-up and objective measurements of fitness and lung health. Benck said that CARDIA will continue to follow participants and may eventually provide insights into whether fitness not only preserves lung function, but also reduces the risk of developing lung disease.
