IMR Press / FBL / Volume 23 / Issue 8 / DOI: 10.2741/4657

Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark (FBL) is published by IMR Press from Volume 26 Issue 5 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.

Review

Survival of the fittest: VO2max, a key predictor of longevity?

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1 Division of Medical Biochemistry, Biocenter, Medical University Innsbruck, Austria
2 Department of Sport Science, Medical Section, University of Innsbruck, Austria
Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2018, 23(8), 1505–1516; https://doi.org/10.2741/4657
Published: 1 March 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular pathways of aging and longevity)
Abstract

Cardiorespiratory fitness, as measured by maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), is related to functional capacity and human performance and has been shown to be a strong and independent predictor of all-cause and disease-specific mortality. The purpose of this review is to emphasize age-related physiological adaptations occurring with regular exercise training, with specific reference to the main organs (lung, heart, skeletal muscles) involved in oxygen delivery and utilization as well as the importance of exercise training for promoting life expectancy in clinically referred populations. As yet, it is not possible to extend the genetically fixed lifespan with regular exercise training, but to give the years more life. This is where physical fitness plays an important role.

Keywords
Aging
disease
Exercise
Longevity
Muscle
Physical Fitness
VO2max
Review
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