Poor fitness increases risk of death in women more than in men.

2003 OCT 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Physical fitness level predicts death in women more than in men, Chicago researchers report. Findings from the St. James Women Take Heart Project (WTH) could influence how doctors test and treat women who have no outward signs of heart disease.

Researchers, who started the study in 1992 and followed 5721 Chicago women, said physical fitness was a stronger predictor of death than other measures, such as the Framingham Risk Score (a questionnaire based on cholesterol, age blood pressure, diabetes and smoking). A score is totaled and helps physicians decide whether a person is at high risk for dying from heart disease and …