A new study has found that a healthy diet is associated with greater physical fitness in middle-aged people (Image: Shutterstock)
The study states that cardiorespiratory fitness assesses how well the heart, lungs, blood vessels and muscles are working.
You must have heard the phrase “You reap what you sow”. This is true in the case of your health as well. A new study has found that a healthy diet is associated with greater physical fitness in middle-aged people. The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), published the findings of the study under the title “Association of healthy dietary patterns and cardiorespiratory fitness in the community”.
The team noted that cardiorespiratory fitness assesses how well the heart, lungs, blood vessels and muscles are working as well as the body’s ability to deliver and use oxygen during exercise. It is one of the most effective measures of welfare and mortality. Although exercise improves cardiorespiratory health, there are differences in fitness between people doing similar amounts of exercise, indicating that other factors also play a role in their well-being. In this regard, a nutritious diet has been linked to a number of positive health effects, but it was unclear whether this also had an effect on fitness. This study looked at the relationship between a healthy diet and physical fitness among people.
For the purpose of this study, researchers assessed approximately 2,380 subjects with an average age of 54. About 54 percent of the participants were women. Subjects engaged in a maximal effort cardiopulmonary exercise test. According to the team, this is the best way to measure fitness, and reflects how much oxygen is used during the most strenuous exercise.
Additionally, the Harvard Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire was filled out by participants to measure consumption of 126 dietary items over the previous year. The data were used to measure diet quality using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and Mediterranean-Style Diet Score (MDS) metrics. Both of these are associated with heart health. Higher scores indicated a better quality diet with a preference for fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seafood and healthy fats, and less red meat and alcohol.
According to the results, the average MDS was 12.4, while the average AHEI was 66.7. A 13-point increase on the AHEI and a 4.7-point increase on the MDS were associated with fitness levels that increased by 5.2 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively, compared to the mean score.
The association between diet quality and fitness was assessed after controlling for other variables that could affect the relationship, such as age, sex, total daily energy intake, body mass index, smoking status, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, diabetes and level. of regular physical activity.
The researchers conducted additional analyzes to identify mechanisms linking food and fitness. They looked at the relationship between fitness, metabolites—substances made during digestion and released into the blood during exercise—and diet quality. Blood samples were taken from 1,154 research participants to analyze a total of 201 metabolites, including amino acids. A total of 24 metabolites were associated with diet and fitness levels.
Dr Michael MI of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, who was involved in the study, said the research proves the link between fitness and a high-quality diet.
