Abstract P378: Higher Non-exercise Estimated Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Midlife is Associated With Lower Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality in Later Life: The Framingham Heart Study

Introduction: Studies have demonstrated that higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. However, exercise CRF test is not routinely performed in clinical settings because it requires specialized equipment and trained personnel. Therefore, non-exercise estimated CRF (eCRF) using easily accessible health indicators in clinical practice may be a time- and cost-effective alternative for evaluating fitness. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that higher eCRF in midlife will be associated with a lower risk of CVD and all-cause mortality in later life. Methods: We evaluated 2,501 Framingham Offspring cohort participants (mean age 65 yrs., 52% women). We used a longitudinal non-exercise algorithm that includes age, sex, body mass index, waist circumference, resting heart rate, physical activity, and smoking status. We then used SAS PROC TRAJ to identify sex-specific latent patterns of eCRF (low, moderate, and high eCRF categories) between exam 2 and 8 (1979-2008). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to relate the long-term trajectories of eCRF to incident CVD and all-cause mortality on follow-up. Results: We identified three distinct trajectories of eCRF (Low [n=268, 10.7%] vs. moderate [n=1,273, 50.9%] vs. high [n=960, 38.4%]). Overall, 265 participants developed CVD and 429 died during 10 years of median follow-up. Participants in the “high eCRF” group were at lower risk of CVD and all-cause mortality compared to those in the “low eCRF” group, after adjustment for potential confounders ( Table ). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that lower eCRF during midlife may be a marker of risk of CVD and mortality in older adulthood.