In the study, researchers looked at data from more than 266,000 people who were offered and performed fitness tests through their jobs between 1995 and 2015. People have had to perform a test on a bicycle to find out their fitness. Subsequently, it has been possible to go through the information to see which of these hundreds of thousands of people later suffered from cardiovascular disease.
The results show that men compared to women of the same age and condition have a higher risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease. For example, men in the younger age group, aged 18-49, with poor fitness had a similar risk to women in the older age group, aged 60-74, suffering from cardiovascular disease.
This was something that surprised the research group at GIH.
- We already know that men have a higher risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease, but that the difference in risk between men and women of all ages and over almost the entire fitness range was so large is not known since before, says associate professor Elin Ekblom Bak , one of the responsible researchers at GIH.
"Easy to influence your fitness"On average, the risk of cardiovascular disease decreased by 2.3 percent and premature death by 2.6 percent, per each higher milliliter of oxygen that can be supplied per kilogram of body tissue per minute. Those with poorer fitness had the greatest risk reduction, according to the study.
- Those who have the most to gain are those who today have the worst fitness. It doesn't have to be that complicated to affect your fitness.
The most important thing is that you come up in pulse and become somewhat breathless, says Elin Ekblom Bak.
- Being active doesn't have to be that complicated. Take a brisk walk, walk up stairs - there's a lot you can do that you don't even have to change for, she says.