Human study · Exercise · 29 Oct 2026
Higher estimated fitness tracked with less cardiometabolic multimorbidity in CHARLS
Source: BMC Public Health
What the research found
BMC Public Health published this CHARLS analysis on 29 October 2026. Among 4,620 Chinese adults aged 45 and older, and free of cardiometabolic multimorbidity at the start, one standard deviation higher estimated cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with a hazard ratio of 0.61 (95 percent CI 0.52 to 0.73) for a first cardiometabolic multimorbidity. The highest quartile versus the lowest had a hazard ratio of 0.35 (0.22 to 0.55), with a trend p-value under 0.001. The relationship looked linear (non-linearity p 0.54). The inverse association was stronger in people without hypertension (interaction p 0.02). Cardiovascular and metabolic disease are the conditions grouped in that outcome. This is an observational association, not a training trial, and it does not show that raising fitness prevents disease. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
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