Each 1-MET higher fitness was linked to 13% lower all-cause mortality across 33 cohorts
How much does one MET of fitness matter?
The finding
Per 1 MET higher fitness, the relative risk was 0.87 (0.84–0.90) for all-cause mortality and 0.85 (0.82–0.88) for coronary and cardiovascular disease.
- Authors
- Kodama S, Saito K, Tanaka S, et al.
- Published
- JAMA 301(19):2024–2035 · 2009
- Evidence
- Read in the primary source; numbers checked.
- Source
- doi.org/10.1001/jama.2009.681
How it was studied
Meta-analysis of 33 observational cohorts of healthy people; for all-cause mortality, 102,980 participants and 6,910 deaths.
The numbers
Low fitness (under 7.9 METs) against high (10.9 or more): RR 1.70 (1.51–1.92). Low against intermediate (7.9–10.8): RR 1.40 (1.32–1.48). The paper notes that 1 MET is about a 1 km/h faster running speed.
What it does not show
Observational, with mixed fitness tests across cohorts. The 7.9-MET cut-off is a category boundary, not a proven threshold.
What Longstanding does with it
We cite per-MET figures as associations between people, not as what one more MET will do for you.