Biomarkers · Functional Fitness

Exercise Capacity (METs)

Higher values go with lower risk of death. Not measured in our NHANES panel. The curve is drawn from the published study (source below).

METs and risk of death

Published curve higher than the NHANES fitNHANES fit higher

Risk of death relative to the curve's reference value, drawn from the published study (source below).

Published risk of death0.87×per 1-MET higher level of maximal aerobic capacity (95% CI 0.84–0.90) · Meta-analysis of 33 observational cohort studies of healthy men and women (all-cause mortality: 102,980 participants, 6910 cases)

What studies found when this marker was changed

They describe what happened in those study groups, not a recommendation. See all catalogued interventions.

Measured changes in METs, study by study

1 effect with a numeric size, each from one study arm: the dot is the reported change, the line its 95% interval where one was given. Green points move the marker the way lower risk of death lies; amber the other way. Study results in the groups studied, not predictions for a person.

Each row is one study: what was changed, the effect it reported on this marker, and the source.
Type	Intervention	Reported effect	Evidence	Source
lifestyle	8-week supervised gym programme then home-based exercise and lifestyle coaching for 3 years in CKD stage 3-4	Maximum METs increased 30% in the lifestyle intervention group at 12 months, without change with usual care	RCT	Beetham KS, Krishnasamy R, Stanton T, et al. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2022.

What else moves this marker

They describe those study groups, not an individual, and an association is not a cause.

Diseases and conditions

Each row is one study: what it compared and the change it reported in this marker.
What	Effect on the marker	Comparison · population	Source
↓ Sarcopenia (in COPD) · Exercise tolerance in COPD patients with vs without sarcopenia	SMD -0.8 (95% CI -1.4 to -0.2)	COPD with sarcopenia vs COPD without sarcopenia · 23 studies, 9,637 COPD participants aged >=40 (69.5% men)	meta analysis · PMID 32862514

Sources

Risk curve: Kodama 2009 (PMID 19454641): all-cause RR 0.87 (0.84-0.9) per 1-MET higher level of maximal aerobic capacity. Scaled to published population values.
Kodama et al. Cardiorespiratory fitness as a quantitative predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in healthy men and women: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2009;301:2024-35.

Map Exercise Capacity (METs) against another biomarker.

Map METs against another marker