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Fitness levels decrease with age and speed up past age 45 in men and women, according to a recent study. But remaining at a healthy weight and embarking on regular physical activity can help.

“The U.S. population is aging and is becoming more obese and sedentary,” Wrote Andrew Jackson, PED, from the University of Houston and colleagues in a recent release of Archives of Internal Medicine. He goes on to explain that it has been recorded that the cardiorespiratory fitness of women and men takes a downturn with age, and that the composition of the body as well as regular physical activity are linked to cardiorespiratory fitness.

They add that poor fitness levels augment the risk of diseases and get in the way of the ability of older adults to function independently.

The study was made up of data on 16,689 men and 3,429 women aged 20 to 96 who took part in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study between 1974 and 2006. The majority of participants were white, well educated, and middle to upper socioeconomic class with access to health care.

Participants completed between two and 33 health screenings and had treadmill exercise tests to measure cardiorespiratory fitness.

Even though fitness levels went down over time, cardiorespiratory fitness went down more quickly after age 45, and the decline was higher for men than for women, the researchers say.

Also, the findings also showed that staying active, maintaining a normal BMI, and not smoking were linked to substantially higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness throughout the adult life span studied. The researchers also added that “Being inactive and having a high body mass index were associated with a lower age at which an individual could be expected to reach threshold cardiorespiratory fitness levels associated with substantially higher health risks.”

Body mass index (or BMI) is a broadly used calculation based on a person’s height and weight. Someone with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered to be overweight, and a BMI of 30 and above is considered obese.

Since rising rates of obesity and low levels of physical activity have been observed in the general population, the researchers state that their findings indicate that more people will reach the fitness level considered by the Social Security Administration as depicting disability at a younger age.

They also state that these data show the need for physicians to suggest to their patients the need to maintain their weight, practice regular aerobic exercise, and refrain from smoking.

“The finding that BMI and a habitual level of physical activity are important determinants of (cardiorespiratory fitness) raises a lifestyle concern for the older adult population,” the researchers write.

REFERENCE: Bill Hendrick (Oct. 2009) Decline in Fitness Accelerates After Age 45. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20091026/fitness-level-decline-accelerates-after-age-45?ecd=wnl_day_102709