VO2 Max
This was a VO2 longitudinal study from the American Heart Association.
Study:
- Peak treadmill oxygen consumption. The treadmill was at 3.0 mph for women and 3.5 mph for men. The incline grade of the treadmill progressively increased by 3% at 2-minute intervals until the patients were exhausted. In more athletic patients, treadmill speed was increased by 0.5 mph a couple times during the test.
- 375 women and 435 men, ages 21-87
- Median follow up of 7.9 years. This was a longitudinal study, which is more accurate than a cross section study (which is biased as though who volunteer are often more athletic, motivated people).
- It was done in the same lab, by the same doctor, over a 20 year period. They tried to always do the test 2 hours after eating in the morning to remove as many variables as possible.
- Those with submaximal effort or diagnosed with heart issues were excluded.
- They predicted longitudinal 10 year rate of change in peak VO2 for each decade from the 20s through 70s. They adjusted for self reported leisure time physical activity.
Findings?
- Peak VO2 declined in each of the 6 decades for both sexes
- Rate accelerated as people got older. It declined from 3-6% in 20s and 30s to more than 20% in their 70s.
- Rate of decline was faster for men than women starting from 40s on.
- This decline was regardless of physical activity habits.
What did we at Biohackr Health like about this VO2 study?
- Peak VO2 was at age 30. So if you are over the age of 30, you need to be really working on your VO2 and building lean muscle mass.
- The rate of decline accelerates as you get older. So you lose it faster the older you get.
- The rate of decline is faster/worse for men.
- Body weight and fat free mass were important contributors to this change in VO2 max, so you need to avoid the weight creep that frequently happens with middle age.
Biohackr Health is focused on muscle growth.
A key tenet to aging better- longevity, healthspan, whatever you want to call it- is to build muscle. Muscle lowers your risk of dementia, fights heart disease and diabetes, helps with posture, strengthens bones. Building muscle is a key. We have many ways to help you build muscle, and from reading this study, you need to start after age 30, particularly important for men. We also know from other studies that there are at risk groups: vegans/vegetarians (missing creatine), menopause (hormone changes), weight loss patients (GLP therapies can cause muscle loss and lower resting metabolic rate if there is food restriction). So other than walking the San Francisco and Palo Alto hills, what can you do?
- TEST & FOLLOW YOUR NUMBERS. InBody fat and muscle percentages, VO2 Max, Resting Metabolic Rate.
- INCREASE EXERCISE. High intensity intermittent training, varying your exercise
- CREATINE and weight / resistance training. Creatine
- NAD to improve mitochondrial health and energy production in your cells NAD
- PEPTIDES like Sermorelin and Glutathione
- WEIGHT CONTROL. This was a key contributor to the VO2 peak decline. Medical weight control
You need to get on this, now. Try to slow or stop the muscle loss. We can help you follow it to see how you compare to same age and gender and go from there.
Medical Citation
Accelerated Longitudinal Decline of Aerobic Capacity in Healthy Older Adults, Circulation July 2005