Targeting health factors in men may reduce mortality

The risk of all-cause mortality in US men is inversely associated with the number of their positive health factors. Targeting more of the modifiable health factors in middle-aged men may provide them with substantial health benefits.

Byun and associates examined the combined effect of several positive health factors on all-cause mortality in 38,110 men aged 20 to 84 years from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. The factors included having normal weight, not currently smoking, consuming a moderate amount of alcohol, being physically active, and having a high degree of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF).

Obese persons had a higher risk of death than their counterparts with lower body mass index. Current smokers had a significantly higher risk of death than never smokers. The risk of all-cause mortality was significantly higher for inactive men than active men. The adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause mortality on the basis of high, middle, and low third of CRF were 1.00, 1.10, and 1.69, respectively. Compared with men who had no positive health factors, the multivariable-adjusted HRs of all-cause mortality with 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 positive health factors were 0.78, 0.61, 0.54, 0.43, and 0.39, respectively.