Max-out your lifespan!

Does having a high VO2 max really add years to your life? Hannah Reynolds investigates

- Hannah Reynolds

VO2 max-your body's ability to transport and use oxygen during intense exercise is more than just a measure of athletic performance. Long regarded as the gold standard for cardiovascular fitness, this key metric, measured in millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min), is now linked to something even more important: longevity. New research reveals that those with a higher VO2 max not only perform better in endurance sports but also have a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, and even premature death. In short, boosting your VO2 max could be one of the most powerful ways to extend your life.

Health and human performance specialist Dr David Lipman explains why VO2 max is such a reliable indicator of cardiovascular fitness: "It encompasses many body systems.

It shows how much you can breathe in and get from your lungs to your blood and from your blood to the muscles." The higher an athlete's VO2 max, the more fuel they can burn at their top end. "There is a large genetic component," adds Lipman, "but it is also trainable."

Valuable health metric

Improving your VO2 max in a bid to increase longevity is attracting more and more mainstream interest. The question of whether a higher VO2 max equates to a longer life is, of course, compelling. However, Lipman cautions that, in this instance, correlation is not causation. "I think VO2 max is just a measure of the type of lifestyle that will allow you to live longer," he says.