Cardiovascular fitness and cardiovascular risk factors among obese men and women aged 58 years and older, in Portugal.

BACKGROUND A better physical fitness may have survival advantages in adults. AIM To analyze the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiovascular risk factors among obese subjects aged 58 years and older. MATERIAL AND METHODS Cardiorespiratory fitness using the six-minute walk test, body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and blood pressure were measured in a non-representative sample of 76 obese Portuguese subjects aged 58 to 87 years (55 women). Participants were stratified in tertiles of walking capacity according to the six-minute walk test. RESULTS Six minutes walk test results were negatively correlated with percentage body fat (r = -0.28; p = 0.012) and systolic blood pressure (r = -0.23; p = 0.045). Participants located in the lowest tertile for the six minutes walk test had an odds ratio of 4.34 (95% confidence intervals: 1.02-18.43) for elevated blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS A lower six minutes walk test result is associated with a higher risk for high blood pressure.