Living Better for Longer

VO2 max - a great indicator of longevity!

Author: Kilian Köthe

VO2max

Nothing is more important to value in life other than our health, we need to protect and maintain good health to ensure we live well later in life.

We need to know, how we are progressing and where we stand with our current health.

At The Longevity Lab, we are interested not only in an individual approach, but also a scientific one.
We measure, understand and learn parameters that predict our health status in old age. To help our team and our clients live better for longer

Over the past few years, we’ve been keeping an eye on the powerful tool of VO2max.

But why is VO2max, so important for us and why is it a good indicator for longevity?

We’re going to take a look at the bigger picture of VO2max, how it’s connected to common diseases, its link with longevity and ways we can improve our VO2max.

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Secrets behind VO2max

VO2 Max - A great Indicator of Longevity | The Longevity Lab

Your VO2 max is defined as the maximum rate at which your muscles can extract oxygen from your blood and utilise it to metabolically generate energy.1 However, it is not merely a measure of respiratory function; it also reflects the efficiency of the cardiovascular system including our heart, which is responsible for transporting oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. Therefore, VO2max serves as an excellent indicator of overall cardiorespiratory fitness.

At the Longevity Lab we measure your VO2max while you cycle with constantly increased intensity. Your consumed oxygen and produced CO2 at maximum intensity are measured with a face mask that is worn continuously. We highly recommend testing your VO2max in a professional, safe setting, to obtain correct values over time. VO2max is something we want to raise regularly to see the improvements in your health as progress is made with us.

VO2max results

A higher number of VO2max indicates a better overall health, as it indicates that the body is capable of extracting and delivering more oxygen to cells and muscles.

A VO2max that is considered optimal for an individual varies depending on their age but ranges between 40 – 60 ml per kg per min.

The highest recorded VO2max in a human being was 96 ml/kg*min achieved by an 18-year-old cyclist from Norway in 2012. As we age, our VO2max declines in line with the natural physiological changes that occur over time.

It is therefore unlikely that this 30-year-old man would achieve the same score nowadays.

VO2max declines at a rate of approximately 3%–6% per decade in the 20s and 30s, accelerating to more than 20% per decade at ages of 70 years and older.2 This offers valuable insight. It is essential to commence enhancing and training one’s VO2 max at the earliest age in order to preserve as much capacity as possible with age.

There are not only benefits from an improved VO2max in the ageing process but also in your daily life. An individual with low VO2max may achieve 85-90% of their potential capacity just by walking up two sets of stairs due to their limited overall ability. Training towards optimising VO2max can lead to an improvement in the ability to perform daily activities, such as carrying weight, which becomes increasingly more difficult with age.

It’s not just age that affects your VO2max. Your general health also plays a part. To understand this better, we need to take a closer look at the common diseases that contribute to poorer health and shorter life expectancy.

CVD and related diseases

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related conditions represent a significant global health burden, accounting for over 80% of all deaths in individuals over the age of 50 who do not smoke.

These are referred to as the four horsemen of apocalypse: Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic disorders.

To illustrate this with figures for the Australian population: one in twenty (5.2% or 1.3 million) people had heart, stroke and vascular disease in 2022. Even more concerning, the prevalence increases by age, from 0.6% of people under 44 years to 27.7% of people aged 75 years and over.3

Therefore, it is from great importance to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the earliest possible stage.

As Peter Attia states, one of the foundational lessons we can take away from studying centenarians is that if you want to live longer, you have to live longer without chronic disease, not live longer with chronic disease.4

CVD and related diseases
Role of VO2max and CVD

Role of VO2max and CVD

The association between VO2max and CVD is well established. Studies have demonstrated that individuals with age-related high VO2max are at a significantly reduced risk of developing CVD or dying from it.

An example of this is the Copenhagen Male Study, which started in 1970-1971.

A total of 5,107 participants with a mean age of 48.8 were included and VO2 max was estimated by using a bicycle ergometer. After a follow-up period of 46 years, 92% of the participants had died, with 42.1% of these deaths attributable to CVD. Individuals with a higher VO2 max had a mean life expectancy that was 4.9 years longer than those with a lower VO2 max. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) as measured by VO2 max was found to be significantly positively related to longevity over the course of 4 decades in this cohort of middle-aged men who were free from CVD. The benefits of elevated midlife CRF extend well into the later stages of life.5

Tips how to improve

Let’s have a look how to increase one’s VO2max for improved cardiovascular health and enhanced pulmonary oxygen absorption.

1. High intensity interval training (HIIT) and overall movement.

It is recommended that individuals engage in high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sufficient overall movement.

Interval training is defined by short bursts of intense activities that cause ≥90% of VO2max or >75% of maximal power with periods of rest or low-intensity exercise for recovery. This type of training has been shown in significantly increased VO2max7

The WHO recommends at least 75min of high intensity physical activity a week to prevent and help manage heart disease, type-2 diabetes and cancer8.

2. Keep increasing your strength.
It is recommended that, at the beginning of your training programme, you undertake any type of endurance training, as this will likely have a positive effect on your VO2 max. It is important to ensure that you consistently extend the duration of your workout or the speed at which you perform the exercise in order to maintain progress9.
3. Control your weight.
As multiple studies have shown, obesity leads to the development of cardiovascular disease and mortality independently of other cardiovascular risk factors10. Therefore, it is unavoidable to keep one’s weight in a normal range to sustain a long and healthy life.
4. Consult with experts.
If you require assistance in determining the best course of action and would benefit from the guidance of a knowledgeable professional, we invite you to contact our health experts for advice. Given our expertise in the field of longevity, we know how to improve your health and provide guidance on navigating all available tests and information.
Summary

VO2max is an effective indicator of cardiovascular fitness and, consequently, longevity.

A high VO2max indicates that your body has the ability to perform better during physical exertion and your lungs and your heart can work more efficiently.

Studies have demonstrated that individuals with a high VO2max tend to enjoy a longer and healthier life, with a higher life expectancy and reduced likelihood of developing CVD.

If you want to be healthier and stronger now and while you age, it is essential to engage in sports, training programmes and control your weight.

And above all: keep pushing yourself!

If you want to live longer, you must start improving today to ensure that your body is still able to perform well tomorrow.