Cardiorespiratory Fitness and the Progression of Carotid Atherosclerosis in Middle-Aged Men

BACKGROUND: Good cardiorespiratory fitness has been associated with reduced risk for clinical events of atherosclerotic vascular diseases, but whether it is related to slower progression of early atherosclerosis is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To study the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and the progression of early carotid atherosclerosis. DESIGN: 4-year follow-up study. SETTING: Eastem Finland. PARTICIPANTS: Population-based sample of 854 men 42 to 60 years of age. MEASUREMENTS: Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max mL/kg per minute) was measured directly by using respiratory gas exchange in a cycle ergometer exercise test. Carotid atherosclerosis was assessed by using B-mode ultrasonography. RESULTS: After adjustments for age, technical covariates, and cigarette smoking, VO2max had strong, inverse, and graded associations with 4-year increases in maximal intima-media thickness (IMT) (standardized regression coefficient beta = -0.120; P = 0.002), plaque height (beta = -0.140; P 36.2 mL/kg per minute). CONCLUSIONS: Good cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with slower progression of early atherosclerosis in middle-aged men. These findings are important because they emphasize that middle-aged men can be evaluated for cardiorespiratory fitness to estimate their future risk for atherosclerotic vascular diseases. Additional research is warranted to investigate a possible causal relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and atherosclerosis.