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Exercise & fitness

VO2max

DEVO2max (maximale Sauerstoffaufnahme)

VO2max is the maximum rate at which you can use oxygen during intense exercise. It is usually expressed in mL/kg/min. By the Fick principle, it equals your oxygen delivery (cardiac output and hemoglobin) times how much your muscles extract at the mitochondria. VO2max is among the strongest predictors of all-cause death. A higher VO2max is strongly tied to lower long-term risk across cohort studies (for example, Mandsager 2018). That makes it a central marker of cardiorespiratory fitness in longevity research.

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Sources

  1. Ross R, Blair SN, Arena R, et al.. (2016). Importance of assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in clinical practice: a case for fitness as a clinical vital sign. *Circulation*doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000461
  2. Bassett DR Jr, Howley ET. (2000). Limiting factors for maximum oxygen uptake and determinants of endurance performance. *Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise*doi:10.1097/00005768-200001000-00012
  3. Mandsager K, Harb S, Cremer P, Phelan D, Nissen SE, Jaber W. (2018). Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Long-term Mortality Among Adults Undergoing Exercise Treadmill Testing. *JAMA Network Open*doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.3605