NASHVILLE, TENN. — Higher cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with lower all-cause mortality in hypertensive women, Carolyn E. Barlow said at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine.
Ms. Barlow, director of data management at the Cooper Institute, Dallas, presented in a poster the results of an open cohort study of almost 13,000 women who were followed for up to 26 years as part of the Cooper Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, a prospective observational study of lifestyle and health.
All the women were examined at the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas from 1971 to 1998, and followed up yearly for mortality.
At baseline, the women received a comprehensive medical examination and exercise prescription. They also took a treadmill test, which was used to determine their fitness level. The lowest 20% in each age group were considered “unfit,” while the upper 80% in each age group were considered “fit.” At baseline, their average age was 43 years. Of the cohort, 51% were normotensive, 31% were prehypertensive (120/80 mm Hg), and 18% were hypertensive (140/90 mm Hg or higher).
There were 298 deaths during the study period. After adjustment for age, exam year, and smoking, a trend toward lower mortality risk was seen in fit women compared with unfit women in each blood pressure group, but only in the hypertensive group was the difference statistically significant. Fit hypertensive women were 54% less likely to die than unfit hypertensive women. Compared with the unfit women, the decreased risk of death was 19% for normotensive fit women and 5% for prehypertensive fit women.